Nine-year-old spends $118,000 on YouTube ads using father's corporate card

A nine-year-old boy, who runs a YouTube channel called ‘Mighty Mike Plays’ focused on Minecraft and Roblox, spent approximately $118,000 on YouTube advertisements using his father’s corporate credit card.

The incident began when the father, identified as Dave, attempted to teach his son how to run a small $20 advertising campaign to increase views and subscribers. During the tutorial, the corporate credit card credentials were left saved on the computer. Over a three-week period, the child launched multiple high-budget promotional campaigns without his father’s knowledge.

The unauthorized spending was discovered during a corporate audit, leading to a meeting between Dave, company management, and financial officials. The boy’s campaigns successfully generated roughly 200,000 views, but the financial impact has placed Dave’s employment in jeopardy, and he may be required to reimburse the company.