Women confront Meta over targeted baby ads following pregnancy loss

Multiple women who experienced pregnancy loss are challenging Meta's advertising practices after the social media giant continued targeting them with baby-related content following miscarriages and stillbirths.

Sammi Claxon, who endured five miscarriages between 2021 and 2024, described how pregnancy ads persisted after each loss.

Claxon explained: "As soon as you get that positive test, you feel like a mother, when that's stripped away from you, it's awful."

The Nottinghamshire resident ultimately deleted her social media accounts to protect her mental health from constant reminders of her losses.

The issue gained legal traction when Tanya O'Carroll successfully compelled Meta to stop using her personal data for direct marketing after filing a lawsuit.

While her victory established that UK users can object to targeted ads under direct marketing regulations, Meta's recent introduction of a £2.99 monthly ad-free subscription service has drawn criticism from grieving mothers who argue they shouldn't pay to avoid traumatic content.

Rhiannon Lawson, who lost her son Hudson to a fatal heart condition at 22 weeks, noted that technology "doesn't understand loss" and continues delivering baby product promotions with "devastating precision."

Former Meta engineer Arturo Bejar testified that reporting tools like the "mark as spam" button often proved ineffective during his tenure, describing the company's approach as "inhumane" despite public statements about user care.

Meta maintains its systems aim to deliver relevant content and encourages users to opt out of specific ad categories, though affected women report these measures frequently fail.