NEW DELHI: Meta on Wednesday said it has taken action against 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content on Facebook and Instagram in India between January and June 2026, with more than 98 per cent detected proactively, the company told news agency PTI.Meta also said it had introduced additional measures to strengthen efforts to combat child sexual exploitation on its platforms.The latest disclosure comes after the government had told Meta that it could not continue to invoke its intermediary status and needed to take greater responsibility for child sexual abuse material on its platforms.The government had warned that Meta could risk losing the “safe harbour” immunity available to intermediaries if it failed to meet its obligations. Officials had also pointed to the company’s recommendation and advertising systems, saying they gave Meta responsibilities beyond merely hosting users’ posts.Meta had admitted to lapses in dealing with child sexual abuse material and assured authorities that it would immediately report such content, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The government had also made it clear that Meta needed to remove child sexual abuse material that could drive children to suicide.The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had separately warned Meta representatives when Meta India chief Arun Srinivas and senior executives appeared before the panel as part of its inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to child sexual exploitation and abuse material on the platform.Against this backdrop, Meta on Wednesday said it had introduced additional measures to strengthen efforts to combat child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
