New Delhi: The Centre has directed Meta to immediately disable Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse content and has sought a detailed explanation from the social media giant within seven days.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the directive after reports highlighted the presence of advertisements linked to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Instagram, raising serious concerns over the platform’s content moderation mechanisms.

Government sources said the ministry has asked Meta to explain how such advertisements were allowed to appear despite its existing safety and moderation systems. The company has also been asked to outline the corrective measures it is taking to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The government reiterated that online intermediaries are legally obligated to ensure their platforms are not used to promote or facilitate illegal content, particularly material involving the sexual exploitation of children.

The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of major social media platforms over user safety, algorithm-driven content recommendations and compliance with India’s Information Technology rules.

Meta has not yet issued an official statement on the ministry’s directive. The company has previously said it uses artificial intelligence, human reviewers and partnerships with child safety organisations to identify and remove child exploitation content from its platforms.

The Centre is expected to review Meta’s response before deciding on any further regulatory or legal action.