Meta platforms, Facebook and Instagram, ran hundreds of paid advertisements containing artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse imagery over the last 10 months, according to a report by the US-based Tech Transparency Project (TTP). The report, published on Tuesday, found 332 such adverts, with the majority (274) running in August 2026.
Approximately a quarter (84) of these ads were displayed in India. Of these, 78 were published after the Indian government issued an order to Meta to remove all ads and content promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Instagram, following a BBC Eye investigation.
TTP stated that it identified images of real children, including a member of a European royal family, that were manipulated using AI in the ads. The report also claims that more than a dozen ads continued to appear on Meta platforms after TTP informed the company of its findings.
In response to the BBC, Meta stated, "We don't tolerate nudify apps or any kind of child exploitation, whether real or AI-generated. These criminals constantly shift tactics to evade detection, which is why we keep strengthening our detection and enforcement." Meta also said it reports apparent child exploitation to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, an Indian network, criticised social media companies for not reporting child sexual abuse content to Indian law enforcement agencies. Just Rights for Children has filed a petition with India's Supreme Court, citing the BBC's findings, requesting mandatory reporting and identification of those promoting CSAM by social media platforms.