Google and two Disney companies recently settled lawsuits alleging that the companies violated children’s privacy laws, once again demonstrating a heightened interest in protecting children online and putting content creators and channel owners on notice that they will be subject to strict liability for violations of federal and state privacy laws. On August 18, 2025, Google and its subsidiary YouTube agreed to pay $30 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming that YouTube collected personal information of children under age 13 for targeted advertising without parental consent, in violation of state privacy laws and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). A few weeks later, Disney agreed to pay $10 million to settle Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that videos the company uploaded to YouTube were not properly marked as “Made for Kids” and the company allowed personal information to be collected from children who viewed videos without notifying parents or obtaining consent, as required by the COPPA Rule. Disney now faces a separate class action lawsuit.

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