Meta Ads Promoting AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Persist on Facebook and Instagram, New Report Finds

The report, published Tuesday by Washington-based TTP, documents 332 adverts containing AI-manipulated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that ran on Meta's platforms. The majority—274—appeared in August alone. The ads used photos of real children, including a member of a European royal family, which were then manipulated using AI tools.

More than a dozen ads continued to appear after TTP notified Meta of its findings, according to the report. About a quarter of the total ads (84) were served in India, and of those, 78 ran after the Indian government's directive.

In response to the BBC's request for comment, Meta said in a statement: "We don't tolerate nudify apps or any kind of child exploitation, whether real or AI-generated. These criminals constantly shift tactics to evade detection, which is why we keep strengthening our detection and enforcement."

The report follows a BBC Eye investigation earlier this year that first revealed Instagram was running paid adverts promoting CSAM in India, prompting the government order.

TTP's findings raise questions about the effectiveness of Meta's enforcement measures and whether the company can keep pace with malicious actors using generative AI to create and distribute abusive content.

Why This Matters

The persistence of CSAM ads on Meta platforms indicates systemic enforcement gaps, even after government intervention and company pledges.
The use of generative AI to manipulate real children's photos expands the scale and difficulty of detection, potentially exposing more children to exploitation.
India is Meta's largest market by users; continued non-compliance could lead to stronger regulatory action or legal consequences.

Background

Meta has faced repeated scrutiny over child safety on its platforms. In July, a BBC Eye investigation found Instagram was running paid ads promoting CSAM in India, leading the Indian government to order removal of all such content. The US-based Tech Transparency Project (TTP) monitors tech platform abuses. Generative AI tools have increasingly been used to produce or modify CSAM, presenting new enforcement challenges for platforms.

Key Perspectives

Tech Transparency Project (TTP): The ads show Meta's systems are failing to catch AI-generated CSAM, and that even direct notification doesn't stop all ads from appearing. The use of real children's images compounds the harm.

Meta: The company states it does not tolerate the content and that perpetrators constantly adapt to evade detection, requiring ongoing investment in detection and enforcement.

Critics/Skeptics: The high volume of ads discovered months after prior investigations—with 78 running in India post-government order—suggests current policies and enforcement are insufficient to stop the problem at scale.

What to Watch

Whether the Indian government issues further actions or penalties against Meta for ads appearing after its order.
TTP's next monitoring report to see if ad volumes decline.
Potential regulatory responses in other countries where similar ads may have run.

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