Instagram displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India, according to a BBC investigation. The ads used terms such as "rape video" and "child video" and linked to Telegram channels where the material could be purchased for as little as 99 rupees. After the BBC reported an ad, Instagram said it did not violate its community guidelines and responded 24 hours later. Meta said it disabled several adverts and accounts, removed additional ads, and blocked related URLs. The BBC set up an investigative account in India and found that within a week the platform showed ads featuring women offering video calls and images of naked couples, followed by ads depicting children with adults in sexual situations. About 30 unique adverts were identified, some shared across multiple accounts, and roughly 20 additional ads featuring adult pornography were shown. A retired Indian Supreme Court justice said the platform was making money by participating in a criminal activity and urged the court to consider suo moto cognisance. Meta denied knowingly targeting children, stating that it automatically disabled more than four million accounts for suspicious behavior in 2025 and reports potential child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Former Facebook vice‑president Brian Boland said Instagram’s algorithm seeks to keep users engaged by showing more extreme content, contributing to the problem. The distribution of child sexual abuse material and adult pornography is illegal in India. Analysts note that advertising accounts for over 90% of Instagram’s revenue, and Meta relies on automated review before publishing ads. The incident has prompted calls for stronger oversight and transparency from the company.