Google / YouTube Children's Privacy (COPPA) & Targeted Advertising Class Action
Case Overview
This class action, filed in 2024, targets Google LLC and its YouTube platform for alleged systematic and ongoing violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and state consumer protection laws by knowingly collecting personal data — including persistent identifiers, geolocation information, and behavioral profiles — from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. Plaintiffs allege that despite a landmark 2019 FTC settlement in which Google paid $170 million and agreed to stop targeting ads to children on YouTube, the company continued to deploy sophisticated tracking technologies, including cookies and device fingerprinting, to build advertising profiles on young users across YouTube Kids and the main YouTube platform.
The lawsuit builds on a substantial evidentiary record, including internal Google communications, advertising partner data, and third-party research showing that YouTube's algorithm actively recommends content to young children and that advertisers were permitted to target age-sensitive categories to audiences Google knew included minors. Plaintiffs seek statutory damages under COPPA ($50,000 per violation per day), injunctive relief to halt data collection from children, and disgorgement of profits derived from child-targeted advertising. With YouTube reaching an estimated 40 million U.S. children under 13, the potential statutory damages exposure is extraordinary. The case proceeds alongside parallel state AG investigations in multiple jurisdictions.
Who May Qualify
Parents or guardians of children under 13 who used YouTube or YouTube Kids without parental consent being obtained by Google for data collection and targeted advertising, particularly U.S. residents whose children's personal information and behavioral data were collected between 2019 and the present.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue YouTube for collecting my child's data?
If your child used YouTube or YouTube Kids and is under 13, you may be eligible to participate in this class action. The lawsuit alleges Google violated COPPA by collecting children's data and serving them targeted ads without parental consent, even after a prior FTC settlement required them to stop.
Didn't Google already settle with the FTC over YouTube kids' privacy?
Yes — Google paid $170 million in 2019 to settle FTC and NY AG charges. However, plaintiffs in this new lawsuit allege Google continued the same practices after the settlement, making the ongoing conduct actionable as fresh violations of COPPA and the 2019 consent decree.
What information did YouTube allegedly collect from children?
Plaintiffs allege YouTube collected device identifiers, IP addresses, watch history, behavioral data, and persistent cookies from children under 13 without parental consent — data that was then used to serve targeted advertisements and build advertising profiles.
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