BBC investigation reveals that Instagram has approved paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India

Following a BBC investigation that exposes deficiencies in Meta’s moderation system, Instagram has approved paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India.

A BBC Eye investigation has revealed that Instagram approved and showcased paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to users in India, raising new concerns about Meta’s advertising moderation systems and the platform’s involvement in enabling access to illegal content.

The investigation conducted by the BBC World Service revealed that the advertisements contained explicit phrases like “rape video” and “child video,” directing users to channels on the messaging platform Telegram, where child sexual abuse material was reportedly sold for as little as 99 rupees (approximately $1).

Despite Meta’s assertion that every advertisement is reviewed prior to publication, the BBC reported that when it brought one of the adverts to Instagram’s attention, the platform replied 24 hours later, stating that the advert did not breach its “community guidelines.”

In response to inquiries from the BBC, Meta announced that it had disabled multiple advertisements, suspended the accounts involved, removed further ads, and blocked URLs associated with content that breached its policies.

Telegram reported that it had taken down over 274,000 groups and channels associated with child sexual abuse material in 2026.

The BBC established a separate Instagram account in India upon observing that the platform had started to suggest sexually explicit content, even though the user had never sought such material.

At first, the account followed 10 women whose posts featured sexual innuendo while addressing everyday subjects like food, weather, and daily life.

Within a week, Instagram’s algorithm started showcasing advertisements with women promoting video calls alongside explicit adult content.

Days later, the account began to receive advertisements featuring children alongside adults in sexually suggestive scenarios, accompanied by links directing users to Telegram channels.

Overall, the BBC identified approximately 30 distinct advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material, with some appearing across multiple accounts. The account was also displayed approximately 20 advertisements featuring adult pornography.

The distribution of child sexual abuse material and adult pornography is considered a criminal offense in India. Meta’s advertising policies explicitly forbid adult nudity, explicit sexual content, and any material that exploits or endangers children sexually.

Among the adverts viewed by the BBC was one featuring a boy and girl, thought to be approximately 12 years old, involved in a sexual act.

Another image showed a man embracing a young girl, with accompanying text indicating that the man was 52 years old and the girl was 12. The advertisement encouraged users to “Click to watch more” and provided a direct link to a Telegram channel.

In a separate instance, the BBC covered an advertisement featuring a young girl in tears, accompanied by text suggesting she had experienced sexual assault. However, Instagram later informed the broadcaster that “our review team found that the advertiser’s ad does not violate our community standards.”

The BBC later informed Indian authorities about all the advertisements and the related Telegram channels.

In response to the investigation, Meta recognized deficiencies in its moderation process.

“No system is flawless, and our review process may not catch every policy violation,” the company stated.

“We consistently employ proactive detection technology on ads after they go live, and we welcome anyone to report an ad they believe violates our guidelines.”

Meta stated that whenever it identifies potential child exploitation, it reports the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which acts as the global reporting hub for online child sexual exploitation.

In a separate statement, Meta expressed: “Child exploitation is a horrific crime, and Meta is committed to combating it vigorously on our platforms.”

The company labeled the suggestions as “categorically inaccurate,” asserting that it did not knowingly target adverts featuring children at users with an inappropriate interest in such material.

Meta also dismissed assertions that it placed revenue above user safety.

In 2025, it was reported that over four million accounts had been automatically disabled due to exhibiting significant signs of potentially suspicious behavior.

“While determined criminals attempt to evade detection, our expert teams are tirelessly enhancing our defenses, innovating new technology to identify predators, obstructing access to violating websites, and collaborating with other companies to enable them to take action as well,” the company stated.

The BBC reported on two Telegram channels that are involved in the sale of child sexual abuse videos.

One was subsequently removed and substituted with the message: “This group can’t be displayed because it violated Telegram’s Terms of Service.”

The second channel, however, is said to have continued releasing new videos for sale.

Telegram has stood by its moderation efforts, stating that it utilizes a combination of automated technology and human reviewers to eliminate illegal content.

The company stated that it has “virtually eliminated the public spread of CSAM from its platform” through these measures.

Critics have raised concerns about Telegram’s insufficient efforts to curb the spread of criminal content. The company based in Dubai is not affiliated with either the NCMEC or the Internet Watch Foundation.

Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur characterized the BBC’s findings as profoundly concerning.

He expressed his concern that Instagram was “profiting from involvement in a criminal activity.”

“This issue is significant enough for the Supreme Court of India to take suo moto cognizance and compel the government to take action against any social media platform,” Lokur stated.

He emphasized that while Indian law shields social media companies from liability regarding user-generated content, “the platform cannot, cannot evade its responsibility.”

Brian Boland, the former vice president of Facebook, expressed that he was both “horrified and unsurprised” by the findings reported by the BBC.

Boland, who was employed at Facebook from 2009 to 2020 and contributed to the development of its advertising business, stated that he ultimately departed because he felt “they didn’t care about users anywhere.”

He asserts that Instagram’s recommendation system prioritizes engagement optimization.

He stated that the algorithm was crafted to retain users on the platform by presenting them with “something more extreme, more tantalizing.”

“It’s not an algorithm that explicitly aims to make people pedophiles, but due to the lack of responsible guidance and control—with a focus solely on revenue and clicks—it can lead to harmful outcomes if there isn’t a genuine and vigorous effort to protect these systems,” Boland said.

Reflecting on his time at Facebook, he remembered spearheading initiatives to eradicate scam advertisements.

“At that time, I was permitted to significantly reduce a large portion of the company’s revenue in the interest of user safety and enhancing user experience,” he stated.

“It’s unfortunate and disheartening that, over time, the balance between revenue and user experience has become a central topic of discussion.”

Boland mentioned that he removed his Instagram account in 2025.

“If a large number of people began to express, ‘I’m out, I’m done, forget it,’ the company would take notice,” he added.

Boland also provided testimony against Meta earlier this year during a trial in the US state of New Mexico, where the company faced accusations of misleading users regarding child safety on its platforms. A court subsequently mandated that Meta pay $375 million (£279 million), although the company has expressed its intention to appeal.

Advertising remains the primary source of income for Meta.

The company disclosed that nearly 98 percent of its $200 billion revenue for the financial year ending 2025 was derived from advertising, while analysts project that advertisements constitute over 90 percent of Instagram’s revenue.

Meta states that it scrutinizes each advertisement before its launch, unlike typical posts that undergo post-publication assessment upon reporting.

The company primarily utilizes automated systems to evaluate images, videos, text, audio, targeting criteria, and destination links prior to determining whether to approve, reject, or escalate advertisements for human review.

In March, Meta revealed its intentions to lessen dependence on third-party human moderators while increasing the utilization of artificial intelligence, asserting that “experts will design, train, oversee, and evaluate our AI systems.”

Shikha Goel, director of the Cyber Security Bureau in Telangana, stated that Meta platforms produced the largest volume of reports submitted via the NCMEC Cyber Tipline.

“However, that does not imply they are the largest,” she stated.

“If they possess an effective algorithm for tracking child sexual abuse material, it is clear that a greater number of alerts will be produced.”

In 2025, India received around 1.9 million reports of child sexual abuse material, making it the second highest after the United States, which had about two million reports.

The Rati Foundation, based in Mumbai and operating a helpline for children experiencing online abuse, noted that the majority of reports it receives regarding child sexual abuse material come from Meta platforms.

Its co-founder and director, Siddharth Pillai, stated: “Criminals exploit the smooth transition from Instagram to Telegram to bypass our moderation efforts and continue reuploading the content we assist in removing.”

Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, stated that organized criminal networks were accountable for a significant portion of the child sexual abuse material generated in India, although there were instances where family and community members were also implicated.

He stated that the crime continued to be notably underreported and that police agencies were still developing the technical expertise required to investigate such offenses effectively.

Ribhu emphasized the necessity of international cooperation to dismantle organized networks.

“To uncover the tentacles of organized crime, it is essential to trace the entire chain of demand and supply,” he stated.