The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to Meta, directing the company to strengthen its systems and ensure compliance with Indian laws following allegations related to advertisements linked to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on Instagram.
Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, issued a statement on X stating that over 50 complaints regarding CSEAM cases have been received on Instagram in the past week, prompting the NHRC to initiate action.
पिछले एक सप्ताह में इंस्टाग्राम पर CSEAM के 50 से अधिक मामलों की शिकायत आ चुकी हैं ।
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) August 7, 2026
प्राप्त जानकारी के आधार हमने पंजाब,दिल्ली,तेलंगाना ,महाराष्ट्र,ओडिशा,पश्चिम बंगाल,हरियाणा,बिहार के पुलिस प्रमुखों को नोटिस जारी कर FIR दर्ज करने और कार्यवाही करने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
हमने… https://t.co/xBCLUR1HEk
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Kanoongo stated that based on the information received, the NHRC has issued notices to the police chiefs of Punjab, Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar, directing them to register FIRs and take action. He added that the matter has also been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The notice is a part of the NHRC's ongoing proceedings into the allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted or facilitated access to CSEAM.
As reported by The Economic Times, the NHRC took cognisance after media reports, including a 'BBC Eye' investigation, alleged that paid advertisements on Instagram used coded phrases that redirected users to channels where child sexual abuse material was allegedly being offered.
Following these reports, the Commission initiated proceedings to examine whether Indian laws had been violated and whether all concerned entities fulfilled their legal responsibilities.
The NHRC asked investigators to examine whether Meta and other concerned parties complied with mandatory reporting under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other applicable Indian laws, The Times of India reported.
Separately, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also initiated an inquiry into the same allegations involving paid advertisements related to CSEAM on Meta owned platforms. NCPCR had issued a notice to Meta on July 3 after taking suo motu cognisance of the BBC Eye report and later received the company's response before deciding to institute a formal inquiry, as reported by ET.
According to the government sources, cited by ANI, Meta has been asked to strengthen safeguards and ensure that its operations comply with Indian legal requirements concerning child safety online.
The case has intensified scrutiny of how major social media platforms detect, remove and report content related to child sexual exploitation in India.
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