Nine-year-old racks up $118,000 ad spend promoting Minecraft videos

Dave, the creator behind the Mighty Mike Plays YouTube channel, explained that his nine-year-old son Mike began posting Minecraft and Roblox gameplay to attract viewers. When the channel’s early videos failed to gain traction, Dave helped Mike set up a modest $20 advertising trial and taught him how to choose budgets and audiences. Mike later returned to the ad platform on his own, using a Google account that still contained Dave’s corporate payment card information.

Over a three-week period, the system recorded $118,000 in advertising costs for promoted videos such as “Mighty Mike”, “Epic Roblox” and other Minecraft content. Dave was called into a meeting with his manager and finance staff, who presented the detailed charges. He has not been told if repayment is required or if his employment is at risk.

Acknowledging his oversight in leaving the payment details accessible, Dave intends to remove saved information, impose spending limits and enable parental controls, and may pause the channel while the matter is reviewed. Mike reacted humorously in a video, saying, “I’m definitely cooked.”