Meta has also agreed to report cases of child sexual abuse and other child safety issues to appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, government sources said on Tuesday. That comes just as the Centre is putting pressure on social media platforms to stop harmful content targeting children from being circulated online.
The government has said that online safety of children is a fundamental and non-negotiable requirement for social media platforms operating in India. Meta is an important first step but more action is needed to make digital platforms safer for children, said officials.
The development comes after months of attention to Meta being at the heart of child sexual exploitation and abuse on Instagram. It has been engaging with social media companies to make sure that platforms will not fail to spot and remove such content proactively, comply with India's legal requirements, and will also take action against them if they do.
Meta Agrees to Report Child Safety Matters
Meta has agreed to report child safety issues to the appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, the government has said. The commitment will enhance the way in which cases of suspected child sexual abuse are brought to the attention of authorities.
The government has also made it clear that reporting alone won’t be enough. Other social media platforms are also in discussions to ensure harmful material involving children is identified and removed quickly, officials said.
The Centre has warned that action will be taken against platforms that fail to take proactive measures to protect children. This puts greater responsibility on social media companies to strengthen their moderation systems and ensure that unlawful material does not remain accessible on their services.
Meta said it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse material. In July, the company said it uses artificial intelligence and other systems to detect such content, remove violating accounts, and block links connected to abusive material.
Meta also said that when it is made aware of child exploitation, it reports such cases to local law enforcement through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) based on law. The company added that in India, NCMEC reports such content to the national cyber-crime reporting portal on Meta's behalf.
The latest commitment from Meta comes as government scrutiny of how these systems operate in India is growing.
Why does Meta come under government scrutiny?
The issue attracted attention this year after it was found that Instagram ads were promoting or facilitating access to child sexual abuse material.
The BBC Eye report alleged that paid advertisements on Instagram were using terms associated with child sexual abuse and directed users to external channels where such material might be accessible. Indian authorities are investigating, according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
In July, MeitY issued a notice to Meta over content related to child sexual exploitation and abuse in Instagram advertisements. Instagram was ordered to remove content that would allow access to such material and to respond to the ministry in a detailed manner.
The government also raised concerns about the algorithmic amplification of harmful material and questioned how such advertisements could have passed the platform’s systems in the first place. Failure to meet legal requirements, authorities said, could lead to action under India’s information technology and child protection laws.
The NCPCR subsequently summoned Meta India's managing director and head in connection with its investigation into the allegations. The Commission said it wanted to establish the facts and examine the company's response and safeguards. Also, the National Human Rights Commission directed the Delhi Police to investigate allegations of Instagram advertisements and whether mandatory reporting obligations had been met.
Government Warns Social Media Platforms.
The recent development shows that the Centre will hold online sites more accountable for child safety. Government officials said they are in discussions with other social media companies to see whether or not harmful content is proactively identified and removed.
This approach is consistent with what the government has already done. In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it had strengthened action against child sexual abuse material on social media, including faster removal requirements and stronger due-diligence obligations for platforms.
For Meta, the new commitment might mean closer engagement with Indian law enforcement if cases involving child sexual abuse are detected or reported.
But the government has said that reporting cases is only one part of a greater effort. Platforms will also be expected to increase detection systems, prevent harmful content from spreading and take action against accounts or networks involved in child exploitation.
Children’s safety will be a top priority in talks with social media companies, the authorities have said. And as the Centre continues its crackdown, other platforms may be under pressure to introduce stronger safeguards and reporting mechanisms.
For users - children and parents - both children and parents, the question now is whether these commitments translate into faster detection, removal and investigation of harmful content. And the government has made it clear that responding to such material through social media platforms will not be enough to contain the spread of such material at this time; not just reacting after it has spread will not work and social media companies will have to take proactive measures to support children online to protect them.
