Google Agrees to Pay Up to $200 Million to Settle FTC YouTube Investigation: Report

The Federal Trade Commission is ticket Google between $ 150 million and $ 200 million to conciliate the whole debacle with its subsidiary , YouTube , allegedly breaking children ’s privacy law , Politico first reportedFriday .

While contingent about the settlement have n’t been officially announce , a person familiar with the matter recount Politico the measuring rod gained FTC approval with a 3 - 2 voter turnout along company line , seeming to confirmsimilar reportsfrom the Washington Post last calendar month . After advance FTC approval , the settlement would go on to the Justice Department for revue .

Reports of the FTC ’s investigating into the online video platform originally surfaced in June after several privacy radical claimed YouTube collected data on its young viewers without paternal consent in an crusade to serve them ads . This would violate the Children ’s Online Privacy Protection Act , whichlimitshow company can scrape data from users vernal than 13 .

Image: (Youtube)

news program of Google ’s potential colonization comes just workweek after the FTC lobbed a$5 billionfine at Facebook after an investigation found the company compromise millions of user personal data . Several politician and concealment counsel criticise this penalty as too indulgent , in particular when compared to Facebook ’s pay ( reportedly$15.08 billionin the first quarter of this year alone ) .

And these critics may have similar complaints if this resolution amount gets the commission ’s official stamp of approving . One of the radical whose ill about Youtube helped prompt the investigating , the crusade for a Commercial - Free Childhood , described the FTC ’s purported $ 200 million fine as “ terribly inadequate ” in a statement from the mathematical group ’s executive theater director , Josh Golin .

“ They have allow YouTube to build a children ’s medium imperium through illegal substance that now , no one can compete with ; all for the cost of a mulct which is the combining weight of two to three months of YouTube ad receipts . They should impose a fine which both levels the playing subject field , and serves as a impediment to future COPPA violation . This amercement would do neither , ” Golin told Gizmodo via email Friday .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

While $ 200 million is massive compared to penalties the commission has previously handed down for similar infraction , like the$5.7 million fineit levied originally this year against TikTok , such an amount is dwarf by Google ’s revenue . For reference , last twelvemonth the caller took in well over$100 billionjust in advertising .

We are encouraged by reports that , as a final result of our advocacy , YouTube will no longer answer manipulative behavioural ad to children . But we expect the terms of the last settlement to determine whether these changes will in reality be meaningful . It is extremely come to that Google has not removed kids ’ content from the principal YouTube site , and it ’s unclear how kid who see there will be protected from Google ’s surveillance .

In the wake of these secrecy concerns , YouTube softly denote to begin with this week that it ’s set in motion awebsite versionof its mobile app geared towards Thomas Kid . This version will debut with three scope allocated for specific long time ranges , and hopefully wo n’t be beset by thosedisturbing videosthat previously landed the YouTube Kids app in hot water . Bloombergalso recently reported the caller is “ settle plan ” to discontinue point ads to kid , harmonise to author familiar with the matter .

William Duplessie

As to Youtube ’s recent changes , Golin gloss :

“ We are encouraged by reports that , as a result of our advocacy , YouTube will no longer serve manipulative behavioral ads to children . But we expect the terms of the final settlement to determine whether these change will in reality be meaningful . ”

Gizmodo reached out to Google and will update this story should the company respond .

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