New Delhi, September 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Meta officials on Wednesday acknowledged a mistake during their appearance before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and agreed to report child abuse content directly to Indian law enforcement agencies, according to government sources.
The officials also indicated that Meta would itself vet such content going forward, amid scrutiny over the role of its algorithms in amplifying material and determining its visibility on the company’s platforms.
Meta India chief Arun Srinivas and other senior executives appeared before the child rights panel for the second time within a week as the NCPCR intensified its inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on Instagram.
According to government sources, Meta representatives acknowledged the error during Wednesday’s hearing and agreed to strengthen the company’s mechanism for reporting child safety-related cases in India.
The officials said Meta would directly report child abuse content to Indian law enforcement agencies through the cybercrime portal operated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the sources said.
The move assumes significance amid questions over the extent to which Meta’s algorithms influence the amplification and visibility of content on its platforms.
Government sources said social media companies could not be viewed merely as intermediaries when their systems and algorithms play a role in determining what content users see. They also stressed the responsibility of such platforms to take proactive measures to protect children from harmful online material.
Srinivas did not respond to repeated media queries about the proceedings as he left the NCPCR office after Wednesday’s hearing.
The latest hearing came a week after senior Meta executives appeared before the commission on September 9. The NCPCR subsequently summoned Meta India’s managing director and other senior executives for a second appearance as part of its formal inquiry.
Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, had earlier routed child safety-related cases primarily through the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The reported decision to route such cases directly to Indian authorities represents a change in the company’s handling of child safety-related reports in the country.
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