Meta blinks, agrees to report child sexual abuse cases amid govt crackdown

Meta has agreed to report child sexual abuse cases to law enforcement agencies in India. The move comes amid sustained government pressure on social media platforms over harmful content, particularly Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse material.

In Short

• Meta to report child sexual abuse cases to law enforcement agencies in India
• Govt sources call Meta's move a first step, but say more action needed
• Govt warns social media platforms of action if child abuse content not removed

Meta has agreed to report cases related to child sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, government sources said on Tuesday. The development came as the government intensifies its efforts to make social media platforms safer for children.

Government sources said the decision followed continued engagement between the government and social media platforms over harmful content and online child safety. "Online safety of children is a fundamental principle for any social media to operate in India, and it is non-negotiable," government sources said.

They said Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters to the relevant law enforcement agencies, describing the move as a "first step" towards making social media platforms safer for children.

"Much more needs to be done," government sources said, adding that the government remains engaged with other platforms to ensure that harmful content is proactively identified and removed.

Meta is the parent company of popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads.

The government warned that social media platforms that fail to take proactive steps to protect children could face action.

The crackdown on Meta came amid heightened scrutiny of the company over Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) allegedly appearing on its platforms, particularly Instagram.

On September 9, senior Meta India executives appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in connection with an inquiry into alleged advertisements related to child sexual abuse cases on Instagram. The NCPCR had taken note of a BBC Eye investigation into the issue.

The scrutiny dates back to July, when the government ordered Meta to immediately disable advertisements and content that promoted or facilitated access to CSEAM on Instagram. The government also sought a detailed explanation from Meta within seven days.

The government action followed a BBC Eye investigation that reported Instagram displaying paid advertisements containing terms linked to child sexual abuse, with some advertisements allegedly directing users to Telegram channels. The investigation also found that several such advertisements had passed Instagram's moderation systems.

Following questions from the BBC, Meta said it had disabled several advertisements and suspended accounts linked to them. The company also said it removes content and accounts that violate its policies and uses proactive detection systems.

Meta also said in July that when it becomes aware of apparent child exploitation, it reports the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in accordance with applicable laws.

In a subsequent statement on its efforts to combat child exploitation, Meta said that in India, reports are made through NCMEC to the national cybercrime reporting portal in compliance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and applicable rules. The company said it had removed 160,000 accounts in India over the previous six months as part of its enforcement efforts.

The government's latest position indicates that it wants platforms to go beyond responding to reported violations and taking proactive measures to identify and report child safety-related offences.

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