Instagram Intensifies : National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned a top official of Meta India in connection with alleged advertisements of child sexual exploitation and abuse content on Instagram. The commission has asked Meta India’s managing director and country head to be present on September 9. The NCPCR had earlier issued a notice to Meta Platforms Inc. taking suo moto notice of the BBC I media report. The Commission has now decided to initiate a formal inquiry to investigate the facts of the case.
The NCCPCR issued a notice to Meta Platforms Inc. on July 3, 2026, taking suo moto notice of the BBC media report. The Commission has removed child sexual exploitation and abuse material from Meta (CSEAM) had sought answers and necessary documents regarding the advertisements. Meta submitted its response to the commission about a week later. Following this, the NCPCR decided to initiate a formal inquiry to ascertain the truth and full facts of the matter.
A top official of Meta India will be questioned
The NCPCR has now summoned the managing director and country head of Meta India to appear on September 9. The commission’s probe will look into Meta India’s role, how the alleged ads got through Instagram’s system and why this situation arose. According to officials, the inquiry will also consider the strict provisions of the Protection from Child Sexual Offenses Act, which applies to such material involving children. Commission officials, however, did not share more details about Meta’s response.
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The NHRC is also investigating the matter
Last week, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as part of its probe into the spread of alleged CSAM on Instagram. Both the ministries have been given two weeks to respond. NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said the investigation is no longer limited to identifying the person who uploaded the objectionable content. It also examines the extent to which the platform’s own editorial and publishing systems are involved in creating, selecting, disseminating, amplifying or monetizing content.
What did Meta say?
Meta has previously stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy against child abuse and that it removes ads and accounts that violate its rules. The company also said its detection system has removed more than 160,000 suspicious accounts in India in the past six months. Meta denied that it intentionally displayed such ads to people with an inappropriate interest in children. NCPCR called up Meta India’s top officials seeking their response, but received no response.