Warning: This article contains real-world examples of abuse.
A BBC investigation has found that Instagram approved and displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to users in India, raising fresh questions about the effectiveness of Meta’s moderation systems and the growing challenge of policing illegal content on social media.
The investigation, conducted by BBC Eye, uncovered dozens of advertisements containing terms such as “rape video” and “child video.” These ads directed users to Telegram channels where illegal content was allegedly sold for as little as 99 Indian rupees (around $1).
Paid advertisements slipped through Meta’s moderation systems
According to the BBC, the advertisements appeared on a newly created Instagram account set up specifically to investigate how the platform recommends sexualized content. After following a small number of accounts posting suggestive but otherwise ordinary content, the account began receiving increasingly explicit advertisements.
Within days, Instagram started displaying ads featuring adult pornography before progressing to advertisements depicting children in sexually suggestive situations that linked directly to Telegram channels selling CSAM. In total, the BBC documented around 30 unique advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material, along with approximately 20 advertisements featuring adult pornography.
In one instance, the BBC reported an advertisement showing a distressed young girl accompanied by text suggesting she had been sexually assaulted. Twenty-four hours later, Instagram responded that the advertisement did not violate its community guidelines and would remain online. Only after the BBC contacted Meta for comment did the company disable several advertisements, suspend associated accounts, remove additional violating content, and block related URLs.
Meta acknowledged that “no system is perfect” and said it continues to improve its automated detection technologies while reporting apparent child exploitation cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by law. The company rejected suggestions that it knowingly targeted such advertisements at users and described child exploitation as “a horrific crime” that it actively works to combat.
Critics question moderation as Telegram also faces scrutiny
The investigation also highlighted Telegram’s role in distributing the material. The BBC reported two Telegram channels selling child abuse videos. One was removed after being reported, while the other continued uploading new content. Telegram told the BBC it uses both automated systems and human moderators to remove CSAM and claimed it has taken down more than 274,000 groups and channels linked to such material in 2026.
The findings have prompted strong reactions from legal experts and former Meta executives. Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur described the issue as serious enough for India’s Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that social media platforms cannot avoid responsibility simply because users upload illegal content.
Former Facebook executive Brian Boland, who helped build the company’s advertising business before leaving in 2020, told the BBC he was “horrified and unsurprised” by the findings. Boland argued that Instagram’s recommendation systems prioritize engagement and revenue, warning that without stronger safeguards, such systems can unintentionally amplify increasingly extreme content.
The investigation also draws attention to the scale of the problem in India. According to the report, the country received 1.9 million CyberTipline reports related to child sexual abuse material in 2025, second only to the United States. Indian cybercrime officials and child protection organizations told the BBC that Meta’s platforms generate a large share of these reports, while also noting that stronger international cooperation is needed to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for producing and distributing the material.
