India orders Meta to remove child sexual abuse content from Instagram ads

A BBC investigation published in early July 2026 exposed paid Instagram ads in India promoting child sexual abuse material that linked to Telegram channels offering illegal content for sale. The investigation found 30 unique Instagram ads featuring child sexual abuse material and 20 ads showing adult pornography on profiles monitored by the BBC alias account, which began receiving such ads within a week ^{[1, 2, 3]}.

India's technology ministry responded by ordering Meta to remove sexual content involving children from Instagram and to disable all related advertisements. The ministry summoned Meta to explain the presence of child sexual abuse content in Instagram ads and requested a detailed response within seven days ^{[4, 5, 6, 3]}. The ministry also ordered Meta to delay the rollout of WhatsApp’s new username feature over concerns of fraud and impersonation risks ^{[4, 5, 6]}.

Meta stated it has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing child sexual abuse content. The company said it removed several advertisements and suspended related accounts after the BBC investigation. "We have a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing such content, and our teams are constantly working to improve defenses," Meta said ^{[1, 4, 5, 2, 3]}.

Telegram also confirmed it removed more than 274,000 groups and channels linked to child sexual abuse material in 2026 ^{[1, 2]}. Distribution of child sexual abuse material and adult pornography is illegal in India and banned under Meta’s ad policies ^{[1, 2]}. Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur criticized Instagram, saying it was "making money by participating in a criminal activity" ^[2].

India, Meta's largest user market, has roughly 600 million WhatsApp users alongside large Facebook and Instagram audiences ^{[4, 5, 6]}. Failure by Meta to comply with India’s orders could lead to legal action ^[3].

Meta’s detailed response to the Indian government is due within seven days of the July 5 order. The company must remove all offending content and disable involved ads immediately ^{[5, 6, 3]}.