Lawmakers say recalled products linked to infant deaths are still being sold on Meta’s Facebook Marketplace
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A bipartisan group of lawmakers says recalled products that have been linked to more than 100 infant deaths are still being sold on the online Meta Market.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, Ranking Members Frank Pallone Jr., D-Fla., Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Jan Schakovsky, D-Illinois, wrote a letter to Meta that criticized CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was still listing banned and recalled products for sale on the Facebook Marketplace even after receiving “thousands of takedown requests” from safety regulators. Meta is the parent company of Facebook.
The products in question include the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play, an infant sleep reclining device that has been linked to nearly 100 infant deaths and recalls since 2019. Lawmakers also noted the Boppy Newborn Lounger, which was recalled in 2021 and linked to eight infant deaths , was also for sale.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the recalled Fisher-Price vehicle is now linked to nearly 100 deaths.
Rock ‘n Play Sleepers from Fisher-Prices have been linked to nearly 100 deaths, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is mandated to keep the public safe from consumer products that pose an unreasonable risk of injury or death,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “In addition to its own work, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) relies on online marketplaces, such as Meta, to keep consumers safe by preventing the posting of products known to be dangerous for sale.”
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The lawmakers claimed that Mita “did not fulfill this mission.”
“Like other platforms where people can buy and sell merchandise, there are instances of people knowingly or unintentionally selling recalled merchandise on Marketplace,” a Meta spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. “We take this issue very seriously and when we find listings that violate our rules, we remove them.”
| tape | protection | last | changes | changes % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wmt | Wal-Mart Corporation | 157.04 | -0.50 | -0.32% |
| TGT | target company | 124.97 | -2.84 | -2.22% |
| AMZN | Amazon.com Inc | 134.25 | -0.43 | -0.32% |
| etsy | Etsy company | 73.48 | +0.16 | +0.22% |
| meta | Meta Platforms Inc | 287.60 | -2.30 | -0.79% |
The lawmakers noted that the CPSC has “formally requested an average of about a thousand takedown requests per month” to the Meta regarding the Boppy Newborn Lounger, but the product is still available for sale on the Facebook Marketplace.
The letter added that the volume of takedown requests remained the same, but that the CPSC “is not aware of any proactive measures to prevent these postings in the future.”
The Original Newborn Boppy Chairs, Newborn Favorites Boppy Chairs, and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Chairs. (CPSC)
“When companies like yours fail to prevent the sale of recalled products, users and their children are put at risk of purchasing and using a product that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has found to pose a serious risk of injury and potential death,” the lawmakers wrote.
And lawmakers asked Meta to answer a series of safety questions by Aug. 31.
In part, lawmakers have asked Meta to clarify the systems it has in place to ensure that products that have been pulled and deemed unsafe are not posted on Facebook’s marketplace.
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Lawmakers also want to know whether Meta has a compliance team dedicated to consumer product safety issues as well as what actions it takes to monitor CPSC recalls. They also want to know what is being done to ensure that Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play, Boppy Newborn Lounger, products of a similar design or other recalled products are no longer available for purchase.
Other markets that have received similar messages include Amazon, Walmart and Target, as well as Etsy and social media giant TikTok. Meta was only accused of continuing to sell the recalled products.
CPSC President Alex Hoehn-Saric said consumers should not be held responsible for discarding illegal products online.
“With the vast resources and access to these markets, there’s no good reason they can’t keep offending and recalled products off their sites,” Hoehn-Saric said, adding that the CPSC “is pushing platforms to prioritize consumer product safety.”
Representatives for Walmart, Target, Amazon, Etsy and TikTok did not respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
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