Parents Sue Paramount and Pluto TV for Secretly Sharing Kids’ Viewing Data

Case Overview: The lawsuit accuses Paramount and Pluto TV of secretly sharing children’s viewing information with major tech companies, violating privacy protections for minors.

Consumers Affected: Families with children under 13 who used Pluto TV’s “Kids” programming section.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Civil Division

Paramount and its streaming service Pluto TV quietly harvest children’s viewing data and send it to major advertising companies, a new lawsuit filed by parents claims.

According to the complaint, the companies allegedly tracked what kids watched on Pluto’s child-focused programming and shared that information in real time with tech giants that rely on detailed user profiles to power targeted ads.

Parents claim none of this was disclosed, and that the companies did it despite having policies that promise extra protections for minors.

Parents Say Pluto’s “Kids” Section Secretly Collected Data

Five parents from California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Indiana brought the lawsuit on behalf of their children, all under age thirteen. Each child used Pluto’s “Kids” section on family devices, often while logged into existing tech accounts on the same phones, tablets, or computers.

The parents all say the same thing: they never gave permission for any of their children’s viewing information to be shared. Their kids streamed cartoons and other prerecorded kids’ shows, unaware that their activity was allegedly being tracked through embedded tools on the platform.

Those tools, the lawsuit claims, monitored exactly what videos were clicked, viewed, or browsed, data that was then sent to outside companies without any parental sign-off.

Lawsuit Details Tracking Tools Embedded in the Platform

The lawsuit outlines a highly detailed picture of how the data collection allegedly operated behind the scenes. Paramount and Pluto are said to have installed third-party tracking software, including pixels and cookies, that could capture far more than a child’s choice of video.

These tools can gather device details, browsing behavior, and identifiers tied to broader ad-tracking profiles, creating a pipeline of information that plugs directly into the data systems of major advertising companies.

According to the complaint, this setup violated multiple privacy laws designed specifically to protect children and to shield individuals’ video-watching history from disclosure.

The lawsuit points to longstanding concerns about the vulnerability of young users, noting that advertisers value children’s data because kids are especially susceptible to targeted messaging.

Children’s Data Lawsuits Growing Across Streaming Industry

The case arrives amid a wave of legal challenges targeting companies accused of collecting or sharing children’s data without proper consent. Another major TV streaming platform, Roku, is facing allegations that it tracks kids’ viewing habits, location information, device identifiers, and even voice data. 

Education technology company Infrastructure, which makes Canvas, has also been hit with claims that it secretly mined student information for profit. Popular social media platforms including TikTok continue to battle lawsuits asserting that they collected minors’ personal details despite rules meant to prevent it.

The parents are seeking to represent every minor who watched videos on the platform and whose information may have been passed along to unauthorized third parties.

They argue that families suffered harms ranging from loss of privacy and emotional distress to the diminished value of their children’s data. The lawsuit seeks damages and a court order to stop the practices entirely.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Raquel Diaz, on Behalf of her Minor Child, B.E., et al. v. Paramount Skydance Corporation and Pluto Inc.
• Case Number: 5:25-cv-02945
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Civil Division 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Daniel Srourian (Srourian Law Firm, P.C.)
• Tyler J. Bean and Sonjay C. Singh (Siri & Glimstad LLP)

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