Meta agrees to report child safety-related matters to law enforcement agencies as the Government of India steps up efforts to protect children online.
NEW DELHI: Meta has agreed to report cases related to child sexual abuse and child safety to appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, according to government sources.
The development follows continued engagement between the Government of India and social media platforms over the need to curb harmful content and strengthen safeguards for children online.
According to government sources, online safety of children is a fundamental principle for any social media platform operating in India and is non-negotiable. The sources described Meta's reported decision as a first step towards making social media platforms safer for children, while stressing that further measures are required.
The government is also engaging with other social media platforms to encourage them to proactively identify and remove content that could pose risks to children.
Government sources said platforms that fail to take proactive measures to protect children could face action.
The latest development comes amid heightened government scrutiny of the handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on social media platforms. The Centre has previously emphasised that intermediaries are required to comply with India's legal framework governing harmful and unlawful online content.
The reported understanding with Meta follows several rounds of engagement between government officials and the company over child safety and content moderation. Business Standard reported, citing multiple sources, that discussions included a demand for child sexual abuse material-related cases and details concerning repeat offenders to be shared directly with Indian law enforcement agencies.
Meta's own July 2026 statement said that, when it becomes aware of apparent child exploitation, it reports such cases to local law enforcement through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and that in India such content is reported through NCMEC to the national cyber-crime reporting portal in accordance with applicable law.
The latest government-source account indicates a push for stronger and more direct cooperation with Indian law enforcement agencies.
The government has maintained that ensuring children's safety online requires proactive action by platforms and said it will take action against those that do not take adequate measures to protect children.
Note: The reported agreement is based on statements from government sources. No independent confirmation from Meta has been cited in the information available at the time of publication.
