Meta’s Infant Advertisements Resemble ‘A Cot in Your Living Room’ for Grieving Parents

Meta has been urged to enhance its safeguards for users following a disturbing trend where parents who have lost babies continue to be targeted with maternity-related advertisements. Michelle Welsh, the newly appointed maternity adviser and Labour MP for Sherwood Forest, has written to the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, demanding better protection against the barrage of unwanted promotional content.

This appeal follows a BBC investigation revealing that individuals who experienced miscarriages or stillbirths were still shown ads for baby products days, weeks, and even months after their losses. In response, Meta acknowledged the validity of these concerns, admitting that its algorithms are not flawless and are actively being refined to improve the precision and sensitivity of ad delivery.

Welsh compared the intrusive nature of these advertisements to an invasion of personal space. “These adverts are pumped at you when you've gone through the most horrendous circumstances - it's like walking through the door and someone's put a cot in your front room,” she said.

On May 26, the MP dispatched a formal letter to the tech giant, requesting that Meta engage directly with affected families and commit to mechanisms that prevent re-traumatization during the grieving process. Her letter has garnered support from major baby loss charities, including Sands, Petals, and Tommy’s, as well as professional bodies such as the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Condemning the practice, Welsh stated: “These are good, honest, hard-working people that have gone through horrendous situations and there is a social media company trying to make a quick buck. That's disgusting.”

The issue is deeply personal for Welsh, whose own childbirth experience was marked by severe medical complications. When she gave birth to her son, William, in 2020, her life and his were endangered due to failures within the maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. Consequently, she is a central figure in the largest review of maternity failings in NHS history. The independent inquiry, launched in September 2022 following allegations of harm to mothers and infants, is set to release its findings in June and involves approximately 2,500 families.

Welsh noted that she has consulted with over 1,000 families who have suffered baby loss. “I've seen the hurt and I've taken it with me, it lives in here [my heart] with me,” she expressed.

For ordinary users, the impact has been profound. Sammi Claxon, from Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, sought comfort and information on social media after a miscarriage in 2021, only to be met with ads attempting to sell baby goods. “It feels like an attack. You do feel ambushed and it is the last thing you want to be seeing,” Claxon said. She subsequently endured four additional miscarriages, adding, “That's a lot of times to feel attacked [by] something you reach out [to] for support.”

Similarly, Kathryn Lee from Essex criticized the “insensitive” targeting she faced after losing her twins, Dylan at 14 weeks and Delaney at 21 weeks in 2024. Describing the experience as “horrific... just like a stab in the stomach again,” Lee explained that despite removing specific keywords from her Facebook and Instagram settings, the ads persisted for months.

“I didn't follow this IVF company. I didn't want to see that. I didn't follow a birth injury insurance company. I didn't want to see that,” Lee said. She began screenshotting the intrusive advertisements, showing them to her husband, who was “horrified.” Lee has since initiated a petition with 400 signatures, aiming to hold social media corporations accountable for these practices.

In a statement addressing the backlash, Meta reiterated its commitment to addressing user concerns. “We take these concerns seriously and continue to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of how ads are delivered,” the company said. It added that while systems aim to provide relevant content, errors can occur: “Our systems are designed to share the most relevant and useful content, but they aren't perfect and some ads may occasionally appear inconsiderate or out of place.” Meta advised users to opt out of specific ad categories as it continues to refine its models, noting that Facebook users can block ads on topics they prefer not to see within their settings.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-03 04:53:41 UTC