Google LLC, a major US technology company, has agreed to set up an $8.25 million fund to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging violations of children’s privacy law by tracking data from apps downloaded on devices used by children under age 13. The proposed settlement was disclosed in court papers filed by the plaintiffs in January 2026.
The lawsuit was filed in June 2023 by six parents on behalf of their minor children who downloaded games and other applications from the Google Play Store under the platform’s Designed for Families program. The complaint alleged that Google’s AdMob advertising software development kit collected personal data from children’s devices even where parental consent was not obtained, violating the United States Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law that prohibithe ts collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
According to the plaintiffs, some of the apps in question included titles such as Fun Kid Racing and GummyBear and Friends Speed Racing, which were marketed toward children and were expected to comply with COPPA requirements. The complaint asserted that Google continued to collect identifiers and other personal information from the devices of users under age 13 through the AdMob system, even after removing certain apps from the Play Store. Parents argued that the data collection enabled targeted advertising based on personal data under circumstances prohibited by COPPA.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Google must establish the $8.25 million fund to cover service awards for the named plaintiffs, attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses, and settlement administration costs. Class members, estimated to include several million minors who used the affected apps, may file claims for payment once the settlement receives final judicial approval. A hearing on the settlement’s approval is expected later in 2026, during which a court will decide whether to grant final clearance for the agreement.
Google has denied wrongdoing in the case and agreed to the settlement to avoid continued litigation. The company did not immediately provide a public comment on the settlement terms when the news surfaced. If approved by the court, the settlement will resolve the claims in this class action, which has advanced through litigation after a 2024 ruling denied Google’s motion to dismiss on timeliness grounds.
The lawsuit is separate from a larger $30 million class-action settlement approved in a related case involving allegations that Google’s YouTube unit collected personal data from children who watched content directed at young audiences without proper consent. That settlement covers different claims and users and was finalised in early 2026.