Meta’s decision follows growing pressure from the Centre to ensure social media platforms take proactive measures to protect children online. Government sources described the agreement as a “first step”, while stressing that more action is needed.
The government has maintained that online safety of children is a fundamental and non-negotiable principle for social media platforms operating in India.
Reports said the Centre will continue engaging with social media companies to ensure harmful content involving children is identified and removed proactively.
They also warned that platforms failing to take adequate preventive measures could face government action.
What triggered the action?
The latest development follows allegations concerning paid advertisements on Instagram that allegedly promoted or facilitated access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
A BBC investigation had reported finding around 30 unique advertisements on Instagram in India that allegedly used terms associated with child sexual abuse and directed users towards Telegram channels offering such material.
Following the reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta.
The government directed Instagram to disable advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material. It also sought an explanation from Meta on how such advertisements were allowed to appear on the platform.
The issue raised concerns about the ability of social media platforms to detect such content before it reaches users.
Meta says it did not deliberately target users
Meta acknowledged that some Instagram advertisements had violated its policies, but rejected allegations that it knowingly or deliberately targeted users with such content.
In a July statement, the company described such a suggestion as “categorically inaccurate”.
Meta said it had removed the violating advertisements, disabled accounts and blocked URLs linked to policy violations after conducting an investigation.
The company also said its systems had detected and disabled several offending advertisements and accounts even before the issue was brought to its attention.
Meta has maintained that it follows a zero-tolerance policy towards child exploitation and uses artificial intelligence and other technology to identify suspicious activity and policy-violating content.
Government says more needs to be done
Government sources said Meta’s agreement to report child safety-related matters to law enforcement should only be viewed as an initial step.
They stressed that “much more needs to be done” to ensure children are protected from harmful content online.
The Centre is also engaging with other social media platforms, with the focus on ensuring that content related to child exploitation is proactively identified, removed and reported where required.
The government has made it clear that child safety will remain a key requirement for platforms operating in India.
NCPCR, NHRC enter the matter
The controversy has also attracted the attention of statutory bodies.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) summoned Meta India officials over allegations related to child sexual exploitation and abuse material on Instagram.
Meta India officials appeared before the commission on September 9 as part of the inquiry.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also sought Action Taken Reports from MeitY, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Delhi Police regarding allegations involving paid Instagram advertisements linked to child sexual abuse material.
The development comes as governments and regulators continue to examine how major social media platforms detect, remove and report harmful content involving children.
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