Meta India Executives Appear Before Child Rights Panel Over CSEAM Ads

Senior executives of Meta India, the entity operating Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday. The appearance is part of the child rights body's inquiry into alleged advertisements related to child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on the company's platforms. Details of the questioning have not been made public.

The NCPCR initiated the matter on July 3, taking suo motu cognisance of a media investigation that flagged concerns over such advertisements. The commission subsequently sought an explanation from Meta Platforms, Inc., which submitted its response a week later.

Following this, the NCPCR decided to conduct a formal inquiry to establish the facts. As part of this process, it summoned the Managing Director and Head of Meta India to appear before it.

The development comes amid broader regulatory scrutiny over the alleged availability and promotion of child sexual exploitation material online. In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a stern notice to Meta, directing Instagram to disable all ads and content that promote or facilitate access to CSEAM. The ministry also demanded a detailed explanation from the platform.

The government's action followed directives from IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who had asked officials to summon Meta over the issue. The regulatory pressure was triggered by investigative reporting that alleged Meta's recommendation algorithm had promoted videos containing child sexual abuse material, despite the company's advertising policies prohibiting nudity and sexually explicit content.

The investigation also reportedly found paid advertisements on Facebook and Instagram using terms like "rape video" and "child video," which directed users to external channels where such content was allegedly being sold.