BBC Finds Instagram Approved Child Abuse Ads in India for 99 Rupees
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
BBC Finds Instagram Approved Child Abuse Ads in India for 99 Rupees
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Summary
About 30 unique Instagram ads in India promoted child sexual abuse material, a BBC Eye investigation found, with some posts linking users to Telegram channels selling videos for as little as 99 rupees, or about $1.
Meta says every ad is reviewed before publication, yet Instagram initially told the BBC a reported ad showing an apparently assaulted young girl did not breach community standards; after questions from the broadcaster, it disabled several ads and accounts.
A BBC alias account began seeing sexualized ads within a week of following 10 suggestive accounts, then later received child-abuse ads, reinforcing criticism from a former Facebook vice-president that Instagram's systems push more extreme content to drive engagement.
Telegram said it has removed more than 274,000 groups and channels tied to child sexual abuse material in 2026, but one BBC-reported channel kept posting new videos after another was taken down.
The findings could sharpen scrutiny in India, where distributing both child sexual abuse material and adult pornography is illegal and where Meta-derived reports made up a large share of the country's 1.9 million NCMEC referrals in 2025.
As criminals easily move from Instagram to Telegram, is the global fight against online child abuse a losing battle?
If 98% of Meta's revenue relies on engagement, can it ever afford to make its platforms truly safe?
Instagram’s 2026 Child Abuse Ad Scandal in India: Systemic Failures, Legal Pressure, and the Ongoing Fight to Protect Children Online
Overview
In July 2026, Instagram faced a major crisis in India after revelations about child abuse advertisements on its platform. This incident highlighted the ongoing struggle of tech giants like Instagram, Facebook, and others to detect and remove harmful content, especially child sexual abuse material. The scandal brought renewed attention to the challenges of content moderation and the responsibilities of major tech companies. It also showed that the presence of such content is a systemic issue, not limited to one platform, and that platforms like Telegram have also faced criticism for their lack of response to legal requests about illicit content.