Meta Steps Up Efforts to Combat Child Exploitation on Platforms

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has taken steps to combat child exploitation on its platforms. In a blog post published on July 7, 2026, the company outlined its efforts to detect and remove child sexual abuse material across its apps.

The move comes after reports of Instagram advertisements promoting child exploitation content in India. Meta has denied knowingly and deliberately targeting ads featuring children to people based on an inappropriate interest.

Instead, the company uses AI-powered technology to identify accounts that have shown potentially suspicious activity related to children. Last year, Meta automatically removed over 4 million suspicious accounts and 36 million pieces of child exploitation content globally.

In India, AI tools helped remove 1,60,000 accounts and 3,50,000 pieces of child exploitation content last year. Meta has committed to improving its efforts to combat child exploitation on its platforms.

The company's efforts to combat child exploitation are part of its broader commitment to keeping its users safe. Meta has been working with governments and law enforcement agencies to improve its detection and removal of child exploitation content.

The impact of Meta's efforts to combat child exploitation is significant. By removing over 4 million suspicious accounts and 36 million pieces of child exploitation content last year, the company has helped to protect millions of users from harm.

However, the issue of child exploitation on social media platforms remains a complex and challenging one. Meta's efforts are just one part of a broader effort to combat this issue, and the company will continue to work with governments, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to improve its detection and removal of child exploitation content.