NHRC asks Meta, MeitY and Etah officials to respond over alleged exploitation of minors in social videos

# What happened

# What the NHRC asked for The NHRC bench, led by member Priyank Kanoongo, gave specific directions and time-bound requests:

• Directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Etah, to identify the children involved, ensure their protection and counselling, and investigate persons alleged to have scripted, recorded, uploaded and circulated the videos.
• Asked the police to register an FIR if a cognisable offence is disclosed and to preserve relevant digital evidence.
• Directed the District Magistrate to arrange care, protection and rehabilitation measures through the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU).

# MeitY must explain Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) was asked to provide details on:

• How the same content was repeatedly uploaded and circulated.
• Whether the content produced any monetisation or commercial benefit.
• Steps taken to preserve digital evidence and to address/remove the material.

MeitY was asked to examine the platform's due-diligence processes, child safety measures and grievance redressal mechanisms that relate to the complaint.

# Central concerns raised by the complaint Foundation's complaint highlighted four concrete harms:

• Erosion of children's dignity and privacy because of forced appearances in objectionable material.
• Potential psychological harm to the children due to repeated involvement and public circulation.
• Lack of informed parental consent for the children's participation.
• Possible exploitation by adults who controlled or facilitated the content and its distribution.

# Immediate procedural steps ordered Police and district officials were asked to act on both protection and investigation:

• Investigate the chain of production and circulation: those who scripted, filmed, uploaded and shared the videos.
• Preserve digital evidence on platforms and devices to support any criminal or civil action.
• Use statutory child protection bodies (CWC and DCPU) for care, rehabilitation and follow-up.

# Context and related actions This NHRC notice follows public and regulatory scrutiny around child safety on platforms. The NHRC's procedural demands mirror earlier actions by child protection authorities that have summoned platform officials and sought explanations for child sexual exploitative content and platform ad practices.

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