Meta said it acted against 33.2 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content on Facebook and Instagram during the first half of 2026, while introducing new AI tools to identify ads and accounts that may direct users to illegal material outside its platforms.
More than 97% of the content was detected by Meta’s systems before users reported it, according to the company. In India, Meta acted on 5.3 million pieces of content, with more than 98% identified proactively.
One new large language model system is designed to detect “signposting,” a tactic in which seemingly harmless ads direct users to illegal or harmful content elsewhere online. Meta said it is now assessing where ads lead, as well as what they contain, allowing it to block destinations that violate its rules and take action against the accounts behind them.
Meta is also adding AI scans to identify content missed by earlier systems and deploying a red-teaming AI agent to test its safety measures for weaknesses. The company said it is improving its ability to identify people who return after their accounts have been removed.
The changes come as Meta faces continued scrutiny over child safety on its platforms, including lawsuits and criticism from lawmakers.
Source: TechCrunch
