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Meta Office (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: Meta has agreed to report cases involving child sexual abuse to appropriate law-enforcement agencies in India, government sources said, marking a significant shift amid growing scrutiny of child safety on social media platforms.
The development comes after Indian authorities intensified action over allegations that child sexual abuse material was being promoted or circulated through Meta-owned platforms, including Instagram.
According to government sources, Meta has agreed to cooperate with Indian law-enforcement agencies by reporting cases involving child sexual abuse. The move is being seen as an important step towards strengthening the response to online child exploitation.
The decision assumes significance because Indian authorities have been examining whether social media platforms are complying with their legal obligations to report suspected offences involving children.
Under Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, known as the POCSO Act, offences covered by the law are required to be reported to the appropriate police authorities. The National Human Rights Commission has specifically questioned whether such obligations were followed in the Meta case.
The latest development follows a series of investigations and government actions concerning advertisements allegedly linked to child sexual abuse material on Instagram.
The National Human Rights Commission recently sought detailed responses from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Delhi Police over allegations that paid Instagram advertisements facilitated access to such material. The commission also asked authorities to examine compliance with POCSO reporting requirements.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also initiated proceedings involving Meta India executives after reports alleged that advertisements connected with child sexual abuse material were appearing on Instagram.
The controversy intensified after the Tech Transparency Project reported that 332 advertisements featuring AI-generated child sexual abuse material had appeared on Facebook and Instagram over a 10-month period, including 84 in India.
The research group said most of the India-linked advertisements appeared after the government had ordered Meta to remove content promoting child sexual abuse material. Meta has maintained that it does not tolerate child exploitation and has said it continues to strengthen its detection and enforcement systems.
Meta agreeing to report such cases directly to Indian law-enforcement agencies could strengthen coordination between social media platforms and investigators dealing with online child exploitation.
The move could also increase scrutiny of how platforms detect, remove and report suspected abuse, particularly when artificial intelligence, recommendation systems and advertising tools are involved.
For Indian authorities, the focus is now likely to remain on ensuring that suspected cases are reported promptly, electronic evidence is preserved and those responsible for producing, promoting or distributing illegal material are identified.
The latest decision comes as the government and child-rights authorities push technology companies towards greater accountability over online safety and the protection of children.
