Sunita Somvanshi
Florida's Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that the company unlawfully collected children's personal information and misrepresented its privacy practices.
The lawsuit centers on Netflix's advertising business, which launched in 2022. Netflix introduced its first ad-supported subscription plan in November 2022.
Florida alleges Netflix collected children's personal information to create advertising profiles without proper consent and didn't clearly disclose these practices to parents. The state also claims Netflix designed its platform to encourage more engagement from young viewers, effectively marketing the service to children while collecting their data.
It's important to understand what this means legally. An allegation from a state attorney general is serious, but it's not yet a court finding. Netflix has the right to defend itself and present its own evidence. Until a court rules, these are accusations being made, not established facts.
What can parents actually do right now? Netflix has privacy settings. The service allows parents to create separate profiles for children. It offers parental controls that let you restrict content by rating. You can examine Netflix's privacy statement, which details what information the company says it collects—things like viewing history, search queries, and device information.
Children's information deserves protection under laws like COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), which restricts how companies can collect and use data from kids under 13.
This lawsuit connects to a broader conversation about how technology companies handle children's information. Florida isn't the only state concerned with these issues. Other states have pursued similar cases against tech companies, social media platforms, and apps, including a TikTok $400M children's privacy settlement. Each case examines whether companies are truthful about their practices and whether they're following the law.
For parents, the Netflix case serves as a reminder to check privacy settings on services your children use, understand what information those services collect, and read privacy statements—though they're often dense and technical.
