Google to Pay $30 Million Over Children’s Privacy Suit

Google has agreed to pay $30 million in a settlement over a children’s privacy class-action lawsuit that claimed YouTube collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent for targeted advertising. The settlement is still pending approval, per Reuters.

According to the lawsuit, which covers the period between July 1, 2013, and April 1, 2020, covering all US children under 13, YouTube allegedly collected data without explicit parental consent. The plaintiffs claim the platform used cartoons, nursery rhymes, and similar content to “lure” children, violating both privacy and consumer protection laws.

Though the case underwent several rounds of appeals and dismissals, it eventually proceeded under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which establishes that companies must get parental consent before gathering personal information from children under 13.

“[The plaintiffs] allege that Google’s collection of their data caused them to ‘suffer economic loss and injury’ and ‘destroyed the private quality of’ their personal information,” reads a January 13 court order.

Originally, the lawsuit also included some of the most popular YouTube channels for children, such as Hasbro, Mattel, Cartoon Network, and DreamWorks Animation. But the complaints against them were dismissed in January, due to an alleged lack of evidence linking them to Google’s data collection.

Though Google has agreed to move forward with the settlement, it denies all wrongdoing. According to the plaintiff lawyers, the suit could cover between 35 million and 45 million class members, leading critics to argue that the settlement is too lenient on the company.

The $30 million would represent considerably less than a day’s profit for the tech giant.

Parents worldwide have expressed concern over YouTube’s handling of personal information from children, and the overall effect the platform could have on minors. Recently, the Australian government announced it would include YouTube in its social media ban for children under 16, overruling an earlier exemption.

The decision came after a survey by Australian watchdog eSafety found that 37% of minors had come across harmful content on the site.