At A Glance
- Who Does This Lawsuit Affect?
The class action covers Ohio residents who subscribed to Netflix as a Household or Extra Member at any time since September 26, 2024 and who are parents or legal guardians of minor children. Separate lawsuits by the Texas and Florida attorneys general cover consumers in those states.
- What Is Going On with the Netflix Kids Privacy Lawsuit?
Parents filed Mosley v. Netflix, Inc. in federal court in Ohio on September 28, 2026. It claims Netflix tracked what children watch on Kids Profiles and fed that data into its advertising business. Netflix denies the claims. The case is at an early stage.
- What Could I Get From the Netflix Lawsuit?
Nothing yet. There is no settlement, no payout amount and no claim form. The parents are asking for damages and court orders that would make Netflix delete the data and turn autoplay off by default on children's profiles.
- Can I File a Netflix Kids Privacy Lawsuit?
If you are an Ohio parent who fits the class definition, you are already a potential class member and do not need to file anything now. Parents in other states can speak with a consumer privacy lawyer about their own options.
- How Much Does a Lawyer Cost?
Class action lawyers usually work on contingency, so class members pay nothing up front. If the case wins or settles, the court decides the fee, which is paid from the recovery.
Netflix Faces a Class Action and Two State Lawsuits Over Children's Viewing Data
Netflix built its brand on being different from social media: no ads in the early years, no feeds and a separate Kids Profile that parents could trust. Three lawsuits filed in 2026 say that promise did not match what was happening behind the screen. They claim Netflix recorded what children watched, searched, paused and skipped, then used that data to power the advertising business it launched in November 2022.
The newest case is the private class action Mosley v. Netflix, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-02534, filed on September 28, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by parents Kayla Mosley and Jonathan Austin. It follows lawsuits by the Texas Attorney General in May 2026 and the Florida Attorney General in September 2026.
Netflix denies all three. In response to the Texas case, a company spokesperson called it meritless and said Netflix complies with privacy and data protection laws, pointing to its parental controls. None of the claims has been proven in court.
Important Netflix lawsuit update
As of October 27, 2026, there is no Netflix settlement, no claim form and no payout. Any email or text asking you to “claim your Netflix settlement” or pay a fee is a scam. Learn the warning signs in our guide to class action settlement scams.
Who Is Being Sued in the Netflix Kids Privacy Lawsuit?
The defendant in all three cases is Netflix, Inc., the Delaware company that runs the Netflix streaming service. The Texas case also targets statements made by former CEO Reed Hastings about how Netflix makes money.
The parties include:
- Netflix, Inc.: The streaming company accused of collecting and monetizing children's viewing data.
- Kayla Mosley and Jonathan Austin: Ohio parents who brought the class action on behalf of themselves and their children.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: Sued Netflix in Collin County, Texas on May 11, 2026.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier: Sued Netflix in St. Johns County, Florida on September 9, 2026.
- Ad tech and data companies: The Ohio complaint names firms such as Experian, Acxiom, The Trade Desk, Google, Amazon, Yahoo and LiveRamp as recipients or users of data. They are not defendants.
Who Could Be Covered by the Netflix Lawsuit?
Only the Ohio case is a class action, so it is the only one where individual families are formally part of the case. The Texas and Florida suits are brought by the states themselves to protect their residents, and any money recovered there usually goes to the state, not to individual subscribers.
What Circumstances Might Be Relevant?
- You lived in Ohio and paid for Netflix as a Household or Extra Member at any time since September 26, 2024.
- You are the parent or legal guardian of at least one child under 18. Children are included through their parent.
- Your child watched Netflix, especially on a Kids Profile with autoplay left on.
- You live in Texas or Florida. You are not part of those cases, but court orders there could change how Netflix treats your data.
- You live elsewhere. You are not covered today, although similar class actions are sometimes filed in other states.
You do not need to sign up or file anything to stay in a proposed class. If a court certifies the class or a settlement is reached, official notice will explain your options. Our guide on what to do when you get a class action notice explains that step.
What Is the Netflix Kids Privacy Lawsuit About?
The Ohio complaint says that every action on Netflix is recorded: what a child watches and rewatches, what they abandon halfway, what they search for and when they pause. It claims Kids Profiles run on the same logging systems as adult profiles, even though Netflix marketed them as “Great for kids” and as separate, protected spaces.
According to the complaint, Netflix once called its no advertising stance “a deep part of our brand proposition.” When it launched its ad supported plan in November 2022, the parents say, it began sharing subscriber data with ad tech firms and data brokers without clear notice or parental consent.
The suit also targets autoplay. It is on by default on every profile, including Kids Profiles, and the complaint calls it a “dark pattern” designed to keep children watching longer and generate more data. The parents link that design to harms such as lost sleep, anxiety and social isolation.
| Case | Court and date | Main laws | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mosley v. Netflix (class action) | N.D. Ohio, Sept. 28, 2026 | Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, Ohio product liability law | Damages, data deletion, autoplay off by default for kids |
| Texas v. Netflix | Collin County, Texas, May 11, 2026 | Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act | Civil penalties, disgorgement, injunction |
| Florida v. Netflix | St. Johns County, Florida, Sept. 9, 2026 | Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, Florida Digital Bill of Rights | Civil penalties, injunction, deletion of kids’ data |
What Laws Are Involved?
Each case relies on state consumer protection law rather than a single federal privacy statute.
The key laws include:
- Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act: Bans unfair or deceptive acts in consumer transactions and lets consumers sue as a class.
- Ohio product liability statute (R.C. 2307.71): The parents argue the Netflix app is a defectively designed product.
- Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act: Lets the Texas Attorney General seek civil penalties for misleading business practices.
- Florida Digital Bill of Rights: Requires consent before selling sensitive data. Florida says penalties can reach $50,000 per violation and triple when a known child is involved.
- COPPA: The federal children's privacy rule for kids under 13. It is part of the background but is not a count in the Ohio complaint.
How Do Other Children’s Privacy Cases Compare?
This is not the first privacy case against Netflix. In 2012, Netflix agreed to a $9 million settlement over keeping former subscribers’ rental history under the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, with most of the money going to privacy organizations rather than individual users.
Recent children’s data and app privacy cases show how these disputes often end. Parents of young Google Play users can share in the $8.25 million Google Play COPPA settlement, and app users whose health data was shared reached the $59.5 million Flo settlement. Claims about addictive design for kids are also moving forward in the video game addiction lawsuits, and our Gmail class action lawsuit guide covers another fight over how a tech giant uses personal data.
Those results are not a prediction for Netflix. Each case turns on its own facts, and many privacy suits are dismissed. See how class action settlements work for the usual path from complaint to payment.
Have kids on Netflix?
You can act today without waiting for the court. Open Netflix parental controls, choose your child’s profile and turn off autoplay for next episodes and previews. Then review viewing history and lock adult profiles with a PIN.
What Can Parents Do Right Now?
Because there is no settlement, the most useful steps are practical ones that limit what Netflix collects and preserve your records in case the class is certified.
- Turn off autoplay of next episodes and previews on every child profile in your Netflix account settings.
- Set maturity ratings and lock adult profiles with a PIN so children stay in their Kids Profile.
- Download your Netflix account data, or ask Netflix to delete it, if your state privacy law gives you that right.
- Keep billing emails or statements that show you paid for Netflix since September 2024, if you live in Ohio.
- Report suspected privacy violations to your state attorney general or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Attorney
- Does my family fit the Ohio class definition, or do I need my own case?
- Would an individual claim be worth more than staying in the class?
- How are fees calculated, and do I pay anything if we lose?
- Could a similar case be filed in my state?
What Happens Next in the Netflix Cases?
Netflix will respond to the Ohio complaint, most likely with a motion to dismiss. The judge will then decide whether the claims can go forward. If they survive, the parents must ask the court to certify the class before any classwide money is possible. That process usually takes a year or more.
The Texas and Florida cases are moving separately in state court. A ruling or settlement there could force changes to how Netflix handles kids’ data nationwide even before the Ohio case is resolved. You can follow other active cases in our list of open class action lawsuits.
Parents may wish to:
- Bookmark this page. We update it when Netflix responds or the court rules.
- Ignore anyone offering to "register" you for a Netflix settlement for a fee.
- Learn what a class action lawsuit is and how class members are notified.
- Check open class action settlements for claims you can file today.
Is There a Filing Deadline for the Netflix Lawsuit?
No. There is no claim deadline because there is no settlement. These are the dates that matter so far:
Key Dates in the Netflix Cases:
- November 2022: Netflix launches its ad supported plan.
- September 26, 2024: Start of the Ohio class period.
- May 11, 2026: Texas Attorney General sues Netflix in Collin County.
- September 9, 2026: Florida Attorney General sues Netflix in St. Johns County.
- September 28, 2026: Mosley v. Netflix class action filed in the Northern District of Ohio.
- Next: Netflix's response and any motion to dismiss.
If you want to bring your own case instead of waiting, time limits under state consumer protection laws can be short. A lawyer can tell you which deadline applies. Our guide on how to sue a company covers the basics.
Case: Mosley, et al. v. Netflix, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-02534
Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division
Filed: September 28, 2026
Status: Pending. No settlement or claim form
Complaint: Read the complaint (PDF)
You May Also Want to Know
No. As of October 27, 2026, Netflix has not settled any of the three cases, and there is no claim form or payout.
Ohio parents Kayla Mosley and Jonathan Austin filed the class action on September 28, 2026. The Texas and Florida attorneys general filed separate suits in May and September 2026.
No. The proposed class is limited to Ohio residents who are parents or guardians of minors and have subscribed since September 26, 2024. That could change if the case expands or new cases are filed.
The complaint says Netflix logged what children watched and rewatched, what they stopped watching, their searches, pauses and other interactions, along with device and location data.
Netflix denies wrongdoing. It called the Texas suit meritless and based on inaccurate information, and says it follows privacy laws and offers parental controls.
Sign in to Netflix in a web browser, open Profiles, choose the child's profile and switch off autoplay of next episodes and previews. Netflix explains each option on its parental controls help page.
No one knows. The parents seek damages, but any amount would depend on a settlement or verdict. Learn how payouts are usually calculated in our guide to class action settlement payouts.
COPPA protects children under 13 online, and the lawsuits mention children's privacy, but the Ohio case is built on state consumer protection and product liability law rather than a COPPA claim.