Penalty Amount
$10,000,000
The FTC settled with Disney for violating the COPPA Rule by mislabeling videos on YouTube, which allowed the collection of children's personal data without parental consent. Disney must pay a $10 million civil penalty and implement measures to ensure proper video labeling and compliance with COPPA.
Disney must pay a $10 million civil penalty, comply with COPPA by notifying parents and obtaining verifiable parental consent before collecting children's data, and establish a program to review whether videos posted to YouTube should be designated as 'Made for Kids'.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor agreements with online platforms (e.g., YouTube, social media, streaming services) and customer agreements for any child-directed services or content. Specifically, examine clauses related to data labeling responsibilities (e.g., 'Made for Kids' or equivalent designations), consent mechanisms for children's data, prohibitions on targeted advertising to children, data processing and sharing restrictions, and audit rights. Contracts must be updated to explicitly require partners to comply with COPPA labeling obligations, implement robust parental consent flows, and prohibit the use of children's data for ad targeting. Data processing addendums (DPAs) should incorporate COPPA-specific safeguards and require certification of compliance.
Entity
Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC
Also known as: Disney
Industry
Media & EntertainmentOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/court-approves-order-requiring-disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-firm-enabled-unlawful
DisneyComplaint
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/DisneyComplaint.pdf
disney timeline item 2025 12 31
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/disney-timeline-item-2025-12-31
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC"
"$10 million"
"Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule)"
"violated the COPPA Rule by failing to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as 'Made for Kids' (MFK)"
$10.0M
The FTC alleges that Disney violated COPPA by failing to properly label children-directed videos on YouTube as 'Made for Kids,' allowing the collection of personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Disney will pay a $10 million civil penalty and must implement a program to ensure accurate video designations, potentially incorporating age assurance technologies.
$750K
The FTC finalized an order against Vanilla Chip LLC (doing business as TruHeight) and its principals for deceptively advertising height-enhancing supplements for children and teens without scientific evidence. The company also used fake reviews and incentivized 5-star ratings. The order requires a $750,000 payment and prohibits false health claims and deceptive review practices.
$2.3M
The FTC alleged that RentGrow, a tenant screening company, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by failing to use reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of its reports, including by reporting duplicate records and failing to disclose data sources. RentGrow agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty and is prohibited from further FCRA violations and from misrepresenting dispute outcomes.
The FTC and New York Attorney General took action against Handy Technologies for deceptive earnings claims and failure to disclose fees and fines that led to millions of dollars being withheld from workers' wages. The FTC is sending over $2.7 million in refunds to 62,893 affected consumers.
$35.0M
The FTC alleged that Hopper, a travel booking app, charged consumers hidden and pre-selected fees (Tip and VIP Support) without their consent, misrepresented the benefits of VIP Support and Price Freeze services, and failed to clearly disclose total prices. Hopper agreed to pay $35 million for consumer redress and is prohibited from misrepresenting fees under a proposed order.
$1.5M
The FTC finalized a settlement with Publishing.com LLC and its principals for misleading consumers about potential earnings from self-publishing products. The company will pay $1.5 million and is prohibited from making unsubstantiated earnings claims, failing to disclose refund terms, and misrepresenting endorsements and reviews.