Boy, 9, Spends $118,000 on YouTube Ads Using Father's Credit Card

A nine-year-old boy in Israel, operating a YouTube channel called "Mighty Mike Plays" where he posts videos of Minecraft and Roblox gameplay, reportedly spent approximately $118,000 on advertising campaigns to boost his channel's viewership. The child allegedly used his father's company credit card, linked to the Google account, without understanding the financial implications.

According to the father, Dave, the situation began innocently with a $20 advertising campaign to help his son increase views on one of his videos. However, the boy subsequently accessed the advertising system on his own and initiated further campaigns over a three-week period. He believed that increasing the advertising budget would directly translate to more views, operating under the logic of "more money, more views."

The massive charges were only discovered when the father was summoned to a meeting at his workplace, where he was presented with the accumulated advertising expenses. He stated that three of the promoted videos eventually garnered around 200,000 views each.

Following the revelation, the boy announced to his viewers during a live stream, "It looks like I'm cooked." The family has stated their intention to remove saved payment details, implement spending limits, and activate parental controls. The father also mentioned the possibility of pausing the YouTube channel while the family assesses the situation.