Child Bride Auctioned on Facebook The social giant is under fire for the "barbaric use of technology." An auction was held on Facebook for a 16-year-old girl in South Sudan, asking for payment for her hand in marriage. The tech company took the post down 15 days after it was posted. However, that wasn't until after the girl was married. "That a girl could be sold for marriage on the world's biggest social networking site in this day and age is beyond belief. This barbaric use of technology is reminiscent of latter-day slave markets." According to children's rights organization Plan International, the girl was bid on by five men, some of them were reportedly high-ranking South Sudanese government officials. According to UNICEF's November 2017 figures, 52% of girls in South Sudan are married before they turn 18.