Google to pay €30 million for violating children's privacy on YouTube!

Google will pay an estimated €30 million to settle a class action lawsuit in the US accusing it of violating children's privacy on the popular video sharing platform YouTube. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Google illegally collected personal data from children under the age of 13 who watched videos on YouTube. Such tracking, often linked to cookies and targeted advertising, is common online, but is explicitly prohibited by the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which has been in effect since 2000.

COPPA requires online platforms to obtain verified parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. This includes not only names, email addresses, and phone numbers, but also browsing behavior, location, and device identifiers. Violations can result in hefty fines, and the law has been increasingly strictly enforced in recent years.

Although Google has agreed to pay, the company still denies any wrongdoing and says it did not knowingly break the law. The settlement avoids a lengthy trial and additional scrutiny over its data collection practices. The settlement covers approximately 45 million U.S. residents who used YouTube as children under the age of 13 between July 1, 2013, and April 1, 2020. Those eligible will be eligible to receive smaller cash payments, with the total amount of €30 million being split across all claims.

What's next?

Beneficiaries will have to submit a claim through an official settlement website that will be set up in the coming months. Payments could take several months or longer, depending on the number of claims. The case highlights the pressure on tech giants to step up protections for children online, especially as lawmakers in the US and EU prepare tougher rules on privacy and targeted advertising for minors.