“Protecting children on our platforms is a priority for us and we’re committed to working with the government to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are held responsible. To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cyber crime portal managed by I4C,” Meta Spokesperson said.
dThe development comes as the Centre steps up its engagement with social media platforms over the identification and removal of harmful content, particularly material that puts children at risk.
Government says child safety is non-negotiable
According to the sources, protecting children online is a basic requirement for social media platforms operating in India and cannot be compromised. “Online safety of children is a fundamental principle for any social media platform to operate in India and it is non-negotiable,” they said.
They described Meta’s decision to report child safety-related cases to law enforcement as an initial step towards improving safeguards for children on digital platforms, while stressing that more measures are still needed.
Other platforms also under scrutiny
The government is also in discussions with other social media platforms to encourage them to proactively identify and remove harmful content. Platforms that fail to take adequate steps to protect children online could face action, according to the government sources.
Meta representatives appear before NCPCR
The development follows the appearance of Meta India representatives before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on September 9. The child rights body had summoned Meta’s Managing Director and Head of Meta India as part of an inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM).
The NCPCR initiated an inquiry after taking suo motu cognisance of a BBC Eye report about alleged advertisements on Meta-owned platforms. On July 3, the child rights body sent a notice to Meta Platforms, Inc. seeking its response to the allegations. Meta submitted its response to the commission a week later.
In an earlier development, the NHRC directed the Delhi Police to investigate claims involving paid Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in India.
The police were also asked to examine compliance with mandatory reporting provisions under the POCSO Act by Meta and other concerned entities.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Sept 15, 2026 10:09 AM IST
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