Meta ran and hosted dozens of paid advertisements containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across Facebook, Threads, Messenger and Instagram, according to a Wired investigation. The ads reportedly reached thousands of accounts before being removed, and several linked to "nudify" apps that digitally undress images of people. The findings raise fresh questions about the effectiveness of Meta's ad review systems, given that all adverts are supposed to be vetted before publication and such content is explicitly banned under the company's advertising standards.

The more than 50 offending ads were uncovered by researchers at the Tech Transparency Project using Meta's own ad library tool, and were posted between November 2025 and August 2026. TTP's director said the images made no attempt to disguise their content, and criticised Meta for approving and profiting from ads rather than this being third-party material slipping through moderation. Meta said it works "aggressively" against exploitation, noting most of the ads had limited reach and many predate newer AI detection tools it has since introduced, adding that it removed over 36 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content last year. The report follows similar incidents, including the BBC's July finding of CSAM-related ads on Instagram in India and an April 2026 lawsuit accusing Meta of failing to act on scam advertising.