In 2026, Meta allowed the publication of over 300 advertisements containing scenes of child sexual abuse. Bloomberg reported this on September 8, citing a study by the non-profit organization Tech Transparency Project (TTP).
“Content related to child sexual abuse is among the most serious found on the internet. Yet, this content is not hiding in the dark corners of the web; it is being used in paid advertisements on Meta’s platforms,” said TTP Director Katie Paul.
The study found that a total of more than 29,000 users viewed the prohibited ads. Artificial intelligence (AI) was typically used to generate the images depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Many of the videos were posted to promote apps that create deepfakes.
Experts analyzed posts on Instagram and Facebook from 2026. Such videos violate not only Meta’s policies but also U.S. federal laws. The non-profit organization shared information about the prohibited content with the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that many of the ads in question had already been removed, though he noted that bad actors frequently alter their tactics to bypass monitoring systems.
On May 7, the European Parliament announced an agreement to ban the use of AI applications for creating sexually explicit deepfakes without the subjects’ consent. Developers have been notified that they have until December 2 of this year to bring their products into compliance.
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