Dozens of explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse ads ran on Meta’s platforms, reaching thousands before removal. Researchers say Meta’s review process failed to block the content. The company claims new AI tools are improving detection.
Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of imagery depicting child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Over the past nine months, Meta allowed dozens of paid advertisements containing explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to run across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads. According to the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), more than 50 image and video ads featuring abusive content were discovered in Meta’s ad library, with some ads linking to so-called nudify or undressing apps. These ads, which sometimes reached thousands of users, targeted audiences in the United States, United Kingdom, and over a dozen European countries.
TTP director Katie Paul told WIRED that the ads made no attempt to conceal their content or intent. “It’s important to point out that this isn’t content posted by third parties on Facebook or Instagram, these are ads that were reviewed, approved, and allowed to run by Meta, never encountering interference while the company collected the ad dollars,” Paul said. The ads were published between November of last year and early August, often running for several days and sometimes targeting only men. One video ad used a thumbnail of a child with the text: “Realizing Deep Fantasies with Generation AI [sic]. There is so much more than what is shown, use your imagination.” Clicking the ad led to video clips where the child’s face was inserted into sexual acts. Another ad repeatedly showed a young girl in a sexualized pose with the caption: “I can show you more.”
Although many of the ads were not actively being shown to users when TTP found them, they remained accessible in Meta’s ad library for months. At least one ad reached 2,563 accounts in Europe, including in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Meta’s ad library does not provide full reach data for the US or all countries, so the total exposure could be higher.
TTP first identified the ads while investigating nudify app promotions, following a previous report about a Chinese advertising partner. The group reported the findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline. After WIRED contacted Meta, the company removed the ads for violating policies on child sexual abuse, exploitation, and adult sexual solicitation. A Meta spokesperson stated, “Sexual exploitation is horrific, and we work aggressively to keep it off our platform. The majority of these ads had minimal reach and many were disabled before WIRED shared them. Many of these ads also predate new AI technology we launched recently to better detect and block violating ads at upload-and we’re constantly improving these systems.”
Despite Meta’s claims, TTP researchers found that some of the most egregious ads were published after WIRED’s initial inquiry, with several still live at the time of discovery. One video ad showed a girl applying lip gloss, then morphed into a sex act. Meta’s ad review process relies primarily on automated tools, but the company’s advertising standards explicitly prohibit child sexual exploitation, nudity, and sexually suggestive imagery. The ad library now displays removal notices for the offending ads, citing violations of policies on “child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity” and “adult nudity and sexual activity.”
Earlier in July, a BBC investigation revealed that Instagram had run ads promoting the sale of apparent child sexual abuse material in India, using terms like “rape video” and linking to Telegram channels. Meta responded by reiterating its “zero tolerance” stance on child sexual exploitation. TTP’s Paul noted that some identical ads had previously been removed by Meta, raising questions about the effectiveness of its enforcement systems. The ad library does not allow users to report content that is no longer running.
Most of the ads were posted by accounts with few or no followers, often linked to Chinese companies. In one case, the advertiser was identified as Meet Social, a Chinese firm that previously served as a Meta ad reseller. Meet Social did not respond to requests for comment. Several ads directed users to an app called MaskAI, which appeared in Apple’s App Store and, once downloaded, offered AI-generated pornography and face-swapping features. Apple has since removed MaskAI for violating its policies against nudification apps.
Since 2020, the rise of generative AI has fueled a surge in online nudification and undress services, generating millions in revenue and facilitating the creation of illegal AI-generated CSAM. After WIRED contacted Meta about TTP’s findings, the company sought comments from online safety organizations. Sean Litton of the Tech Coalition said Meta has shared “thousands of violating URLs” with the group’s Lantern service. The UK’s Revenge Porn Helpline praised Meta’s partnership with StopNCII.org but acknowledged the ongoing challenge of combating nudify apps. Alexios Mantzarlis, cofounder of Indicator, reported flagging over 25,000 AI nudifier ads on Meta’s platforms in recent years. Meta claims to have removed more than 344,000 such ads and taken legal action against a Hong Kong company behind some nudifier platforms.
As the digital landscape evolves, enforcement remains a challenge. “The actors on the other side are clearly well-equipped to create new advertiser accounts and new domains so that they can keep going, leveraging the same techniques used by scam networks,” Mantzarlis told WIRED. The persistence of image-based sexual abuse, he said, is now a permanent fixture of the online ecosystem due to insufficient enforcement across platforms.
While the focus here is on Meta’s ad review failures, the broader issue of AI-generated abuse content is affecting multiple platforms. For a look at how other digital marketplaces are grappling with AI-driven content and enforcement gaps, see this analysis of Etsy’s struggle with AI art and drop-shipping.
Meta Platforms, Inc., founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, operates some of the world’s largest social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads. As of 2026, Meta reports over 3.8 billion monthly active users across its family of apps. The company generated $134 billion in revenue in 2025, with advertising accounting for more than 97% of its total income. Meta employs approximately 77,000 people worldwide and continues to invest heavily in AI-driven content moderation and safety technologies.
