YouTube has come face to face with the law, as it is accused of repeatedly violating the privacy of children under 13.
A lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court against parent company Googleaccuses it of collecting data without parental consent.
Privacy expert Duncan McCann, who brought the lawsuit, said these practices violate European Union privacy laws.
A YouTube spokesperson said it cannot comment on pending legal cases and that the platform is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13.
Mr McCann, himself a father of three children under the age of 13, believes that if they win the trial, compensation of between £100 and £500 could be paid to those whose data was breached.
“When the Internet first came out , we were worried about how children were using it,” said Mr. McCann.
"This is still a problem, but now it's a two-way street. We need to focus on how our children are using the internet and ask ourselves if we are okay with them being turned into products for these digital platforms.".
He told the BBC that it is the first lawsuit in Europe against a technology company on behalf of children. The damages sought are up to £2 billion for around five million children in Britain, as well as their parents or guardians.
The lawsuit claims that YouTube and Google violated the UK Data Protection Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulations. The case will focus on children who have used YouTube since May 2018, when the new data protection law came into effect.
As the YouTube spokesperson added: “We launched the YouTube Kids as a destination exclusively for kids and have made further changes that allow us to better protect children and families on YouTube.”
The case is not expected to go to trial until next fall. The Foxglove campaign group and Hausfeld law firm have said they will support Mr. McCann's case.
