Meta details AI-powered measures to fight child exploitation after Instagram ad scrutiny | Technology News

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 8, 2026 08:19 AM Days after the Indian government sought an explanation over reports that ads promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appeared on Instagram, tech giant Meta has outlined a range of measures that it says are helping fight child exploitation across its platforms.
In a blog post published on Tuesday, July 7, the company described child exploitation as a “horrific crime” and said it continues to invest in artificial intelligence (AI), human reviewers and partnerships with law enforcement agencies and child safety organisations to detect and remove abusive content. “Child exploitation is a horrific crime and every day, we work aggressively to fight this kind of abuse both on and off our platforms,” the company said.
The social media giant said that its AI systems proactively identify content linked to child exploitation, including known CSAM, grooming behaviour, and suspicious accounts. The company said that it also uses hash-matching technology to detect previously identified abusive images and videos, while machine learning tools help flag new or previously unseen content for review.
Further, the company revealed that it removed about 4 million accounts and 36 million pieces of content linked to child exploitation globally in the first half of 2026. In India alone, Meta said it disabled approximately 1.6 lakh accounts for violating its child safety policies during the same period.
Meta also highlighted its measures aimed at disrupting networks that facilitate abuse. These include removing accounts that attempt to contact minors for sexual purposes, sharing signals about offending accounts with other technology companies through industry programmes, and reporting relevant cases to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which coordinates with law enforcement agencies worldwide.

According to Meta, advertisements are reviewed using automated systems, with some also reviewed human reviewers before being approved. Meta said its ad review systems are designed to detect policy violations, including attempts to promote or profit from child sexual exploitation. The company asserted that it continues to strengthen these systems as bad actors evolve their tactics.
“We’re committed to keeping bad actors off our platforms and are constantly evolving our systems to stay ahead of them. Protecting people who use our platforms remains at the centre of how we build and enforce our advertising standards,” the company said.Story continues below this ad
The post from Meta, comes amid heightened scrutiny in India after the Minry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reportedly issued a notice to Meta over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting CSAM. The government directed the company to immediately remove such content and explain how the ads were allowed to appear on the platform.
Meta said it maintains a zero-tolerance approach towards child exploitation and works with governments, child safety experts, and other technology companies to enhance detection and enforcement. The company added that perpetrators are constantly changing their tactics, making ongoing investment in AI systems, safety technologies and cross-industry collaboration essential to keeping its platforms safe.
“We will continue investing in every resource needed to keep young people safe, strengthen our ad review processes, and work with law enforcement to hold criminals accountable.”