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Instagram ran ads linking to child sexual abuse material on Telegram in India
BBC Eye investigators documented roughly 30 unique Instagram ads that used terms such as "rape video" and "child video" and directed users to Telegram channels selling the material for as little as 99 rupees. After the BBC reported the ads, Instagram initially declined to remove one, then Meta said it had disabled several ads and suspended the accounts that posted them.
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Instagram displayed paid advertisements that promoted child sexual abuse material to users in India, a BBC Eye investigation found. The ads contained phrases including "rape video" and "child video" and directed viewers to Telegram channels where the material could be purchased for as little as 99 rupees.
The BBC created an alias account in India that followed accounts posting suggestive content; within days the account began seeing ads showing adults and children in sexually suggestive situations.
Platform responses Instagram reviewed one reported ad and stated 24 hours later that it did not violate community standards. Meta later told the BBC it had disabled several ads, suspended the accounts posting them, and blocked additional URLs. Telegram said it removed more than 274,000 groups and channels related to child sexual abuse material in 2026.
One of two channels reported by the BBC was taken down; the other continued to post new videos.
Legal and policy context Distribution of child sexual abuse material and adult pornography are criminal offences in India. Meta policy prohibits ads containing adult nudity or content that sexually exploits children. Retired Supreme Court justice Madan Lokur said Instagram was "making money by participating in a criminal activity" and that the platform could not shirk responsibility.
Former Facebook vice-president Brian Boland said the company's algorithm pursues revenue and clicks without sufficient safeguards. Meta said no system is perfect and that it reports apparent child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
