Instagram promoting child abuse material in India: Report
What's the story
A recent investigation by BBC Eye has revealed that Instagram has been running paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in India. The disturbing ads, which used terms like "rape video" and "child video," directed users to Telegram channels where such content could be purchased for as little as ₹99 (approximately $1).
Moderation technology
Instagram claimed ads didn't violate its guidelines
Despite the shocking discovery, when BBC reported one of these ads to Instagram, the social media platform claimed that the post did not violate its "community guidelines." The statement came just a day after the report was made. The response raised questions about the effectiveness of Instagram's moderation technology, which is supposed to approve all ads before they are published.
Account suspensions
Meta's response to BBC's findings
After the BBC's report, Instagram's parent company Meta said it had already disabled several ads and suspended the accounts posting them. The company also claimed that it had removed additional ads, disabled more accounts, and blocked URLs for other content that violated its policies in response to the BBC's findings. However, this raises questions about how these ads were approved in the first place.
Algorithmic bias
Instagram also pushed sexually suggestive content to uninitiated users
The BBC also found that Instagram was promoting sexually suggestive content to users who hadn't even searched for such material. This included women discussing food, weather, and daily life in India while dressed provocatively and using sexual innuendo in their posts. The findings highlight a potential flaw in Instagram's algorithmic moderation system, which is supposed to prevent the spread of inappropriate content.
Escalation of content
Investigation uncovered a disturbing trend on Instagram
The BBC created an alias account on Instagram to investigate the platform's content moderation practices. Within a week, the account was bombarded with ads featuring women offering video calls and explicit couples having sex. Soon after, it started receiving ads featuring children in sexually suggestive situations with links to Telegram channels. The investigation found around 30 unique adverts promoting CSAM, some shared by multiple accounts.
Policy violations
'No system is perfect': Meta on CSAM ads
Meta has stated that "no system is perfect, and our review process may not detect all policy violations." The company added that it continues to run proactive detection technology on ads once they're live, and anyone can report an ad they think breaks its rules. Despite these measures, the BBC's investigation highlights a serious gap in Instagram's content moderation practices, especially concerning CSAM.
Channel removals
Telegram removed over 274,000 groups, channels in 2026 alone
Telegram has said it removed over 274,000 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026. However, the BBC's investigation found that one of the channels it reported for selling CSAM videos was still active and posting new content for sale. The discrepancy highlights a potential inconsistency in Telegram's content moderation practices, further complicating the fight against online child exploitation.