Digital Smarts - Facebook Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Kid’s Purchases

Facebook is facing a class action suit after it has refused to provide refunds for purchases made by children through the site without permission from their parents. The issue of children making purchases online without the permission of their parents is a dicey one that has cost other tech companies a fair amount of money.

In January 2014, Apple was forced to refund at least $32.5 million in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the ability of children to make in-app purchases without parental consent. Last September, Google was ordered to shell out $19 million in refunds over the same issue, while in July, the FTC sued Amazon over unauthorized in-app charges made by children. Given the outcome of these past cases, Facebook is likely to face a tough challenge in court and may end up having to settle the suit and refund the purchases. In the meantime, be sure to talk to your kids about not buying anything within an app without your permission.