Meta announced on Wednesday that it had taken action against 33.2 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content on Facebook and Instagram in the first half of 2026. At the same time, the company is rolling out new AI tools to find ads and accounts that could be used to covertly direct people to illegal child abuse content.
The company said more than 97% of the content manipulated by Meta was discovered by its systems before it was reported by users. In India, Meta acted on 5.3 million cases of child sexual exploitation material during the same period, with over 98% detected before a user reported it.
Meta said its latest AI tools target people who use innocuous-looking ads to drive users to illegal content outside of Meta’s platform.
The company has introduced a new Large Language Model (LLM) system to detect so-called “signs.” This refers to ads that may seem normal, but are suspected of directing users to illegal content or other harmful activities elsewhere online. According to Meta, this is a common tactic these days as malicious actors continue to change their methods to avoid detection. While the ad itself may not contain illegal content, it can act as a gateway to websites that host child sexual abuse content.
Because of this, Meta said it is now considering not only what the ads include, but also where the ads take users. Companies can use this information to block websites and other links that violate the rules and take action against the accounts behind them.
Meta also uses additional AI-driven scanning to find child exploitation content that previous systems may have missed. The company said it will continue to add new signals as it learns more about how these networks work.
Another new tool is the “Red Team AI Agent” that tests Meta’s unique safety measures. Look for weaknesses that bad actors can exploit to circumvent your company’s protections. Mehta said this could help detect new forms of abuse before they become more common.
Additionally, the company is improving its system for finding people who come back to the platform with new accounts after their previous accounts have been deleted.
The new measures come as Meta continues to face pressure over child safety on its platform. The company faces lawsuits and criticism from lawmakers over the risks its social media services pose to young users. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to resolve child safety litigation involving 29 U.S. states, addressing concerns about online child protection.
Meta introduced several child safety features this year, including Meta AI parental controls, pre-teen accounts on WhatsApp, and warnings to parents when their child searches for self-harm content on Instagram.
In September, WhatsApp added more parental controls. You can limit how your teen uses your channel, control who can see your status updates, and decide who can add your kids to groups. Parents can also choose to receive notifications about specific group activities.
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