Instagram has been running paid adverts promoting child sexual abuse material in India, a BBC Eye investigation has found. According to the BBC World Service, the ads use terms including 'rape video' and 'child video' and link users to channels on the messaging app Telegram, where the material can be bought for as little as 99 rupees (about $1). Ads on Instagram are only published after being approved by its moderation technology.
The BBC set up an alias account in India after noticing the platform was pushing sexually suggestive content, even without searching for such material. The alias followed 10 women who posted sexualised content. In less than a week, Instagram started showing advertisements featuring women offering video calls and naked couples. Days later, it began showing adverts of children with adults in sexually suggestive situations, with links to Telegram channels.
Scale of Adverts Found
In total, according to the BBC, about 30 unique adverts appeared promoting child sexual abuse, although some were shared by multiple accounts. The alias account was also shown about 20 ads featuring adult pornography. Both types of content are criminal offences in India.
| Type of Advert | Number of Unique Ads |
|---|---|
| Child sexual abuse material | ~30 |
| Adult pornography | ~20 |
Specific Examples
One ad showed a boy and a girl, both appearing about 12 years old, engaging in a sexual act. Another showed a man with his arm around a girl, with text stating he was 52 and the girl was 12, linking to a Telegram channel. A third ad featured a very young girl in tears, with wording indicating she had been sexually assaulted.
Response from Instagram and Meta
The BBC reported one of the ads to Instagram. According to the BBC, 24 hours later Instagram replied saying the post did not violate its 'community guidelines'. However, when the BBC asked Meta for comment, the company said it had already disabled several adverts and suspended the accounts posting them. Meta added that it had removed additional ads, disabled more accounts, and blocked URLs for other violating content in response to the BBC's findings.
Meta told the BBC that 'no system is perfect, and our review process may not detect all policy violations'. It stated it continues to run proactive detection technology on ads once they are live and that anyone can report an ad. Meta also reported apparent child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), though the source text on this point is truncated.
Telegram's Action
Telegram said it had removed more than 274,000 groups and channels related to child sexual abuse material in 2026.
Legal and Policy Context
A retired justice of India's Supreme Court, Madan Lokur, expressed concern that Instagram was 'making money by participating in a criminal activity'. Meta's policy explicitly states that ads must not contain adult nudity, genitals, or content that sexually exploits or endangers children. The BBC has reported all the ads and Telegram channels to Indian authorities.
'making money by participating in a criminal activity' – Madan Lokur, retired Supreme Court justice.
Implications for Content Moderation
The investigation highlights gaps in automated moderation systems and the challenges platforms face in detecting violative content, especially when hosted off-platform. For enterprise technology leaders relying on social media for brand safety, these findings underscore the need for vigilance and external audits of platform safety measures.
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