Kids tap, swipe, play, and move on. Behind the screen, though, an app may be collecting more than a high score.

The case says Google and AdMob collected, used, and shared personal information from children under 13 years of age without parental consent, and used that information for targeted advertising. It also points to Google’s “Designed for Families” program, which was supposed to screen children’s apps for privacy rules. Court records say some apps in the program still collected children’s data, even as the program grew to billions of downloads.

Why Parental Consent Matters

This is where children’s online privacy and parental rights come in.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is meant to give parents more control over what information online services collect, use, or share from children under 13. At the center of this case is whether children's personal information was collected without proper parental consent.

Kids' Data Can Be Valuable

Children’s data is not just about what game they played.

Online activity can help companies learn what users click, watch, download, or interact with. That information may then be used for ad targeting and other marketing tools.

The Google Play case says personal identifying information from millions of children may have been collected without proper parental consent and then used for targeted advertising.

Who Should Control a Child's Digital Footprint?

A child may forget about a game they downloaded years ago. Yet, their digital data may not disappear as quickly.

That is why cases like this raise a bigger question for parents: Who should get to decide when and how a child’s personal information is collected online?

Want to Learn More?

Learn more about the Google Play Children's Privacy class action settlement, payment details, and how to file a claim on our page linked here.