Instagram running ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India, BBC finds
Instagram has been running paid adverts promoting child sexual abuse material in India, a BBC Eye investigation found. The ads used terms including "rape video" and "child video" and linked users to Telegram channels where material could be bought for as little as 99 rupees (about $1). Ads on Instagram are published after approval by its moderation technology. When the BBC reported an ad, Instagram responded 24 hours later, stating the post did not violate its "community guidelines."
Later, Meta, Instagram's parent company, said it had disabled several adverts and suspended accounts, and removed additional ads, disabled more accounts, and blocked URLs in response to the BBC's findings. Telegram stated it removed more than 274,000 groups and channels related to child sexual abuse material in 2026. The BBC set up an alias account in India after noticing the platform pushed sexually suggestive content. In less than a week, this alias account was shown advertisements featuring women offering video calls and naked couples having sex. Days later, it began showing adverts of children with adults in sexually suggestive content.
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A BBC investigation has uncovered disturbing content on Instagram in India, raising serious questions about content moderation on the platform. The
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