In a heated session of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Rochdale MP Paul Waugh strongly criticised Meta’s handling of online child exploitation, accusing the social media giant of failing to prevent its platforms from being used by child sex abusers.

During the parliamentary session, which focused on social media, misinformation, and harmful algorithms, Waugh directly challenged Chris Yiu, Meta’s Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe. Yiu, who took on the role in 2023, was grilled over Meta’s policies and enforcement mechanisms regarding child protection on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

Waugh referenced alarming statistics, noting that in 2023, prior to the rollout of end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger, social media companies reported a total of 36 million cases of child sexual abuse, equating to 110 million images and videos. Of these reports, 85% originated from Meta’s platforms. However, due to the introduction of encryption, the UK’s National Crime Agency expects an 80% decline in these reports from Meta this year.

In a scathing exchange, Waugh accused Meta of “harbouring” abusers by failing to adequately monitor and remove harmful content. He likened the company’s inaction to facilitating criminal behaviour, drawing comparisons to notorious sex offenders such as Gary Glitter and Jeffrey Epstein.

“Isn’t it true that you’ve turned Facebook Messenger into Epstein’s own paedophile island? A place where you can do what you want without getting caught,” Waugh challenged.

Chris Yiu defended Meta’s policies, stating, “End-to-end encryption is a fundamental technology designed to keep people safe and protect their privacy. We take these issues around safety, safety and security incredibly seriously. There are a number of things that we do in terms of cooperation with law enforcement to ensure that we’re able to act when, for example, a report is made on our platforms and that we can pass that to the relevant authorities.”

He continued, “We’re able to look in some cases at patterns of behaviour. For example, if an individual is setting up a large number of suspicious accounts and we’re able to act on that and refer it. We work extensively with a number of partners around safety on these issues. It’s important that we address them clearly and effectively.”

However, the committee remained unconvinced, with MPs demanding greater transparency and accountability from Meta regarding its efforts to combat child exploitation online. Waugh and other members of the committee called for stricter regulation and legal consequences for tech companies that fail to act decisively.

Another major concern raised was the regulation of Facebook community groups, which can have tens of thousands of members yet are often moderated by only a few amateur administrators. Waugh questioned whether Meta provides sufficient guidance to these admins to prevent the spread of harmful or libellous content.

Yiu responded, “We have incredibly strict rules around what is and is not permitted on our platform. Those rules apply regardless of whether we’re talking about these Facebook groups or other areas. We run the same policies and enforcement against those users in those groups can report content is concerning to them. We’re very clear with people about what’s expected and not expected on the platform.”

MPs, however, raised concerns that content moderation largely falls on group members and volunteer admins rather than Meta itself. Waugh pointed out that many dangerous or illegal discussions can remain unchecked because content within private groups cannot be reported externally.

Yiu added, “Because we run, as I’ve said, we run our own enforcement on the most severe harms and content that is prohibited on our platforms and we allow users to report and then as appropriate, we will investigate those and take action where it’s required.”

The session forms part of the UK government’s broader scrutiny of social media platforms and their role in propagating misinformation, harmful content, and dangerous algorithms. As discussions on digital regulation continue, the pressure is mounting on Meta and other tech giants to implement stronger protective measures and cooperate more closely with law enforcement agencies.