Netflix tracked children's viewing data, a new class action lawsuit claims.

Parents Kayla Mosley and Jonathan Austin filed a class action lawsuit against Netflix Inc. on Sept. 28, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

The plaintiffs allege Netflix collected detailed behavioral data from children's profiles to support its advertising business while marketing the service to families as safe for kids.

The allegations

The complaint cites lawsuits the Texas and Florida attorneys general filed against Netflix in May and September 2026.

Referencing those cases, Mosley and Austin say Netflix spent years presenting itself as the ad-free alternative to big tech while encouraging parents to set up kids' profiles. The lawsuit claims kids' profiles run on the same logging systems as adult accounts.

The proposed class action alleges Netflix tracks:


  • Shows children watch and rewatch

  • Content they abandon partway through

  • Searches

  • Pauses and other interactions

After Netflix launched its ad-supported plan in November 2022, the company provided user data to data brokers and ad-tech firms such as Experian, Acxiom and The Trade Desk without subscribers' consent, the complaint contends.

Autoplay and other design claims

The lawsuit claims features like Autoplay are dark patterns, which are design choices that nudge users toward the behavior the company wants. Autoplay runs by default on every profile, including kids' profiles, so the next episode starts without anyone pressing play, according to the proposed class action.

Both parents say they worry the service encourages binge-watching to collect data for advertisers. The filing claims the platform's design can cause harmful behavior in children, including addiction, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep and social isolation.

The legal claims

The lawsuit brings three counts:


  • Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, which bars deceptive practices in consumer sales

  • Ohio statutory product liability, which the complaint uses to treat the platform as a defective product and a public nuisance

  • Injunctive relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(2), which is a request for a court order covering the whole class

The parents seek damages, attorneys' fees and orders requiring Netflix to purge data it allegedly collected deceptively, turn off autoplay by default on children's accounts and stop gathering kids' behavioral data without parental consent.

What the lawsuit means for Netflix subscribers

The proposed class covers Ohio residents who subscribed to Netflix as a household or extra member at any point since Sept. 26, 2024, and who are parents or legal guardians of minor children. 

There is no settlement, no claims process and no money available at this time.