Google $8.25M Settlement Payments: How Parents Can Check Eligibility and Claim Before the Deadline

Parents in the United States have until 14 September 2026 to claim a share of an $8.25M (£6.05M) proposed settlement with Google and AdMob over children's data collected through Google Play apps. Court filings estimate payments of $40 to $200 (£29 to £147) for each valid claim. A judge has yet to approve the deal.

The settlement class covers anyone living in the United States who was under 13 when they downloaded or used an app from Google Play at any point from 1 April 2015 to the present. It is not restricted to children's apps. Any Google Play app counts. Court papers put the class at 3.8M to 10M people.

Many of those people are no longer children. Someone who was 12 when the class period opened in April 2015 is in their early twenties now, and files for themselves.

The residency test rules British families out, however much a child used Google Play.

How to Check Eligibility and File Before 14 September

There is no database to look a up name in. Eligibility is measured against the class definition, and the claim form ends in an attestation and signature rather than a request for receipts. The administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, runs a helpline at (833) 447-6416, and the court has ruled that coppaprivacyclassaction.com is the only authorised website for the case.

The online form opens on a login screen requiring a Settlement Class Member ID. Anyone without one can request it through a free registration form on the same site, which asks for a name, a US postal address, and an email address. Its state menu offers only US states, territories, and armed forces addresses. Registering alone does not file a claim.

Each class member may file once, so a household with three eligible children can submit three claims. A class member who was under 18 on 29 May 2026 needs a parent or legal guardian to complete and sign the form. Anyone older signs for themselves.

Online claims close at 11:59 p.m. on 14 September 2026, and posted forms must be postmarked by that date. The window to opt out or object shut on 4 August, so the remaining choices are to file or to do nothing.

Where the $8.25M Goes Before Families Are Paid

Google and AdMob will pay $8,250,000 into a non-reversionary fund, so no unclaimed money returns to the companies. Notice and administration costs, taxes, legal fees, and service awards come out first, and the balance is split proportionally among valid claims.

Class counsel will ask for fees of up to 30% of the fund, or $2,475,000 (£1.81M). Anything left after payments goes to court-approved children's charities.

The $40 to $200 range rests on an assumed claims rate of 1% to 2%.

What the Google Play Lawsuit Alleged

Six children in California, Florida, and New York sued Google and its AdMob units on 22 June 2023 through guardians Jen Turner, Kirenda Johnson, and Barbara Hayden-Seaman.

The complaint centred on Designed for Families, a Google Play programme launched in April 2015 that badged apps as suitable for children. It alleged the AdMob software kit inside those apps harvested device identifiers, IP addresses, and location data without verifiable parental consent, then used it to serve behavioural advertising to under-13s. It cited forensic testing by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office that found the kit pinpointing a child's location to within five metres.

The court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss on 18 June 2024. The parties told the court they had settled in principle on 10 September 2025, and preliminary approval followed on 1 May 2026. In the court-approved notice, the companies 'deny these allegations and deny all wrongdoing.'

What British Families Can and Cannot Claim

No equivalent route exists in England and Wales for a children's data claim. The Supreme Court held in Lloyd v Google LLC on 10 November 2021 that compensation requires proof of financial loss or distress. Loss of control of personal data was not enough on its own. A £2.5B ($3.41B) claim brought for around 5 million British children over YouTube's handling of their data was dropped after that ruling.

A separate Google Play case is running in the UK, though it concerns overcharging rather than children's data. Liz Coll's collective claim at the Competition Appeal Tribunal covers UK users who bought apps or made in-app purchases between 1 October 2015 and 30 January 2026.

It is opt-out, so eligible users are included automatically unless they have excluded themselves. Damages were set at up to £920M ($1.25B) at certification. A pre-trial review was held on 31 July 2026, and the trial is listed for 5 October 2026.

What Has Not Been Decided

Judge P. Casey Pitts is due to hold a final approval hearing at 10:00 a.m. on 24 September 2026. Payments follow only if the settlement is approved and any appeals are resolved, and no payment date has been set.