Dad Sues Facebook After Daughter Posts Lewd Pics

(Newser) – A father in Northern Ireland is suing Facebook after his 12-year-old daughter posted lewd photos of herself on the site, reports the Evening Herald. The suit claims that Facebook is too lax about enforcing its policy of allowing only those 13-and-older to join, and that has put his daughter at risk of pedophiles. The girl has behavioral problems and is living at a voluntary care institution, which also is named in the suit, notes the BBC.

Facebook "relies on children stating their correct age and it doesn't have any checks in place," says the father's Belfast attorney. "My own personal view is that Facebook isn't suitable for under-18s, but the company isn't even able to uphold its own policy of keeping under-13s out." In response, Facebook says it put a big emphasis on safety and awareness but acknowledges that "there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age," notes ZDNet. And attention Belfast dad: "We agree with safety experts that communication between parents/guardians and kids about their use of the Internet is vital."