Meta rolls out new AI tools to detect ads that secretly lead to child sexual abuse material

Key points

• Meta has removed 33.2 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content from Facebook and Instagram in the first half of 2026. The company is introducing new AI tools to detect ads and accounts that may lead users to illegal child abuse material.
• Meta's systems found more than 97% of the content before users reported it, with similar detection rates in India.
• The new tools aim to identify 'signposting' ads that appear harmless but direct users to illegal content outside Meta's platforms.