Parents, take note: if your child bought in-app or in-game purchases on Facebook without your knowledge or consent, you can get your money back. A California court has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit originally filed by two kids and their parents back in 2012. The judge ordered the social network to provide refunds at parents’ request. Those kids bought Facebook Credits (now known as Facebook Payments) using their parents’ cards without their consent and racked up a few hundred to a thousand dollars in debt.
The website’s lawyers argued that the kids got what they paid for, but the plaintiff’s legal counsel reminded the court that the kids were minors and didn’t exactly understand that they were using their parents’ money. According to The Guardian, the whole case was centered around a California legislation called the Family Code, which applies not just to the state, but the whole country. That code voids contracts made with kids below 18 years old. It’s thanks to this case that Facebook had to launch a way for parents to get their money back. So, if you have a kid fond of playing with your tablet or phone, you may want to bookmark the Payments support page, just in case.
Source: The Guardian