In 2011, Glynnis Bohannon gave her 12-year-old son permission to charge $20 on her credit card to play a game on Facebook called Ninja Saga. Neither of them saw any signs that the credit card information had been stored and was racking up charges as her son played and made additional in-game purchases. Bohannon says her son didn't realize it would end up costing nearly $1,000.
Bohannon was the main plaintiff in a 2012 class-action lawsuit that Facebook settled in 2016. The suit was brought on behalf of parents whose minor children unknowingly made purchases on their parents' credit cards.
On Thursday, more than a dozen groups that advocate for children's rights and privacy rights said they're asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Facebook has engaged in illegal, unfair or deceptive practices by enticing children to spend money on in-game purchases without their parents' consent.
"Facebook's scamming of children is not only unethical and reprehensible — it's likely a violation of consumer protection laws," said Josh Golin, executive director of Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood. "Time and time again, we see that Facebook plays by its own rules regardless of the cost to children, families and society. We urge the FTC to hold Facebook accountable."
The request for an FTC investigation comes after a court granted a request by the Center For Investigative Reporting to unseal documents from the 2012 class-action suit.