India, Oct. 8 -- Meta on Wednesday said it has deployed new AI tools to check ads that covertly lead users to child abuse material, as it disclosed that it acted on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content in India in the first half of 2026.

More than 98 per cent of the content on Facebook and Instagram in India was found and addressed before anyone reported it, the company said in a blog post.

Globally, it auctioned 33.2 million such items on the two platforms between January and June, with over 97 per cent found proactively.

Meta said predators have shifted tactics to advertising, where an ad can look harmless on its own while leading people to illegal material hosted off its platforms.

After identifying the scheme, i...