Meta misses hundreds of AI-generated child sexual abuse ads featuring real children

Images of real children, including a member of a European royal family, have been identified as the source material for a subset of roughly 350 online advertisements that depict child sexual abuse. The revelations emerged from an investigation that traced the visual content back to authentic photographs, raising concerns about the exploitation of minors and the potential involvement of high‑profile individuals in illicit networks.

Lawmakers have announced plans to launch a formal inquiry into the matter, seeking to determine how the images were obtained, the extent of their distribution, and any failures in monitoring or enforcement that allowed the material to appear in the ads. The forthcoming investigation aims to coordinate with law‑enforcement agencies, child protection services, and digital platforms to identify perpetrators, protect victims, and prevent further misuse of personal images.