3 July 2026
BBC Eye investigation has found that Instagram is running ads promoting child sexual exploitation material in India — and making money from these ads. The ads link users to the messaging app Telegram where they can buy videos of abuse. Appalled by the advertisements on her Instagram feed, reporter Divya Arya meets with the Indian cyber police who are fighting these crimes, tracks down a former Meta executive turned whistleblower, and talks to a retired Supreme Court judge who tells her that the BBC’s findings are serious enough for the Supreme Court of India to take action. Meta told the BBC they fight child exploitation on their platforms, remove ads that violate their policies, and report such content to the authorities. 00:00 A shocking discovery on Instagram 01:47 The Instagram influencers 03:05 An exploitative ad 04:50 “I was just watching it. How am I a criminal?” 09:10 Mark Zuckerberg explains Meta’s ad business 10:28 Searching for answers at the India AI Impact Summit, New Delhi 11:22 Whistleblower Brian Boland: “It’s an absolutely Careless machine” 16:36 Where do the ads lead? The journey to Telegram 20:41 ‘The Supreme Court of India should take action’ 23:55 Instagram responds - this ad does not violate our community standards 24:49 Asking the head of Meta India for answers 25:42 Meta responds to the BBC’s findings
