Google will pay $30 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging the company collected personal information from children under 13 using YouTube without parental consent. The settlement, filed on Monday, August 18, in San Jose federal court, requires approval from U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen.

The lawsuit claims Google gathered children’s data and used it to deliver targeted advertisements, violating various state privacy laws. Google has denied any wrongdoing while agreeing to the settlement terms.

As Reuters reports, this agreement follows a larger $170 million settlement reached in 2019 with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General Letitia James over similar allegations. That earlier settlement also required Google to modify certain practices, though some critics considered the penalties insufficient.

Potential Beneficiaries

The proposed class includes all U.S. children under 13 who watched YouTube between July 1, 2013, and April 1, 2020. Plaintiffs’ attorneys estimate 35-45 million individuals may qualify for the class.

If 1-2% of eligible class members submit claims – a rate comparable to similar cases – claimants could receive approximately $30-$60 each before legal fee deductions. The attorneys plan to request up to $9 million from the settlement for legal expenses.

Content Providers Dismissed

The original lawsuit, filed by parents or guardians of 34 children, also named content providers, including Hasbro, Mattel, Cartoon Network, and DreamWorks Animation, as defendants. These companies were accused of using child-friendly content to facilitate Google’s data collection.

Judge van Keulen dismissed claims against these content providers in January, citing insufficient evidence connecting them to Google’s alleged data collection practices. Mediation began the following month, ultimately resulting in the current settlement.

For context, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported net income of $62.7 billion on revenue of $186.7 billion in the first half of 2025.

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