Meta agrees to report child sexual abuse, safety-related cases to Centre - here is what social media giant told MeitY

Tech giant Meta Platforms, which is facing lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny in several countries over the alleged addictive design of its platforms, is also coming under increasing pressure in India.

Meta has agreed to report cases related to child sexual abuse and other child safety-related matters to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, government sources told PTI on Tuesday. The move marks the first step towards making the platform safer for children, although much more remains to be done, the sources said.

Meta to curb harmful content, ensure children's safety online

According to government sources cited by PTI, "Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters to the appropriate law enforcement agencies," and added, "It is a first step towards making the platforms safe for children and much more needs to be done."

The development comes as the Centre has ramped up scrutiny of social media platforms over harmful and illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and deepfakes. The government has also been engaging with platforms to strengthen safeguards and curb the spread of such content online.

Government sources further told PTI that the online safety of children is a "fundamental principle" for any social media platform operating in the country and is absolutely "non-negotiable". The sources said the Centre will act against platforms that fail to implement adequate safeguards for children online, underscoring the government’s firm approach to holding platforms accountable for protecting minors from harmful content and activities.

The Centre is also engaging with several other online platforms to ensure they proactively identify and remove harmful content, according to sources.

Meta's response to reporting child abuse cases

Meta India spokesperson on Tuesday commented on the latest development that the company will share child sexual abuse cases with law enforcement officials. The spokesperson said, “Protecting children on our platforms is a priority for us and we’re committed to working with the government to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are held responsible. To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cyber crime portal managed by I4C.”

Centre takes a tough stance against Meta, issues notice

Previously, the Centre issued a notice to the social media giant in India over its handling of such content. It also recently summoned the company's global executives to India, as the government pressed all platforms to act quickly to take down harmful content, enforce stronger safeguards and ensure greater accountability. These global executives were also warned that noncompliance would not be tolerated.

Amid these wider efforts to hold Meta accountable, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also stepped up scrutiny of the company over alleged child exploitation-related content.

NCPCR summons Meta India execs

According to ANI, Meta India executives appeared before the NCPCR on 9 September after the child rights body summoned the company’s Managing Director and Head of Meta India over an inquiry into alleged advertisements involving Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM).

The NCPCR took suo motu cognisance and initiated an inquiry of its own after a BBC Eye report highlighted alleged advertisements on Meta-owned platforms. On 3 July, the child rights body issued a notice to Meta, seeking the company’s response to the allegations.

Following the summons, the social media giant submitted its response within a week, ANI reported.

Separately, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) previously directed the Delhi Police to conduct a detailed investigation into allegations that several paid advertisements on the company's platform, Instagram, promoted Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in India.

Additionally, the Commission also ordered the police to examine whether the tech giant and other relevant entities complied with mandatory reporting obligations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

(with agency inputs)