India's child rights body summons Meta's MD over Instagram showing ads linked to child sexual abuse, amid ongoing investigations and policy discussions.

Updated on: Sep 8, 2026, 21:23:54 IST

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India’s apex child rights body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has summoned Meta India managing director Arun Srinivas on September 9 as part of its enquiry into Instagram hosting advertisements related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the platform, as per a BBC Eye investigation news report.

The hearing will be led by NCPCR chairperson Valeti Premchand at its New Delhi office on Wednesday afternoon, according to people aware of the matter.

NCPCR has the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure to summon and enforce the attendance of any person. A representative from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is also expected to be at the hearing, people aware of the matter told , as discussions on algorithms and other technical aspects are expected to be central to the proceedings.

According to the BBC report, Instagram displayed advertisements containing phrases such as “rape video” and “child video” that directed users to Telegram channels allegedly selling child sexual abuse material. The report said after it flagged one advertisement to Instagram, the platform initially responded that the ad did not violate its community standards. Following the BBC’s findings, Meta removed several advertisements, disabled multiple accounts and blocked URLs found to be in violation of its policies, the report said.

On July 3, MeitY summoned top Meta officials and issued a notice on July 4, directing the company to immediately disable all Instagram advertisements and content that promote or facilitate access to CSAM.

As reported by on July 27, NCPCR sought a report from Meta on why the company did not inform the police after allegedly becoming aware of CSAM being promoted on Instagram, as required under under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. Section 19 of the Pocso Act requires any person who has knowledge of an offence under the Act to report it to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police. Meta replied to NCPCR in a week’s time.

An NCPCR official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told , “When we initiate an inquiry, there is a procedure. The body first calls for the relevant documents, studies them and then questions the people concerned. We now want to hear Meta’s side, understand the arguments it has presented in its report, and give the Meta India MD an opportunity to explain himself. This is part of the principles of natural justice before we reach any conclusion. At the hearing, Meta can substantiate the arguments made in its reports with relevant evidence, and we may seek further clarifications or documents. The MD will also have to depose under oath when summoned, and that deposition can subsequently be produced before a court of law.”

NCPCR’s summons to Meta come weeks after the company ran into hot waters over the temporary takedown of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video. Meta’s chief global officer, upon being summoned by MeitY, apologised to IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the incident, attributing it to a technical error. In the two-day meeting on August 5 and 6, discussions between the government and Meta’s global team also covered proliferation of CSAM on its platforms.

MeitY has since then acknowledged that the platform has stepped up efforts to detect and remove CSAM from Instagram and Facebook, including by strengthening filters and hiring regional-language moderators.

A senior MeitY official on August 18 said, “We are not seeing that kind of content (CSAM) coming up in the same way, and platforms are being more cautious. Meta is also putting in place its own filters and working to identify unlawful content, with its content moderators becoming more sensitive to the Indian context. But we have to keep watching this. We cannot say overnight that we are fully satisfied.”

Separately, NCPCR is also in the process of drafting a uniform voluntary code of conduct for social media platforms to strengthen online safeguards for children. The guidelines are expected to cover age-appropriate access, harmful content, recommendation algorithms and online safety, while focusing on safer use rather than restricting children’s access altogether. The commission is consulting MeitY, DoT, platforms and civil society, with age verification and privacy among the key issues, on August 21.

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