9-year-old caught running $118,000 worth of Minecraft YouTube ads with his dad's company card

Q: What kind of internal investigation is Dave facing from his employer over the company credit card charges?

Dave is facing an internal investigation by his employer into the company credit card charges. The company has not yet decided whether he will be held personally responsible for the spending.

9-year-old YouTube creator spends $118K on ads using dad's corporate credit card, sparking viral fallout and his dad addressing the matter to fans.

Jak Connor

Tech and Science Editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 11:31 PM CDT

1 minute & 15 seconds read time

TL;DR: A 9-year-old YouTuber, Mighty Mike Plays, allegedly spent about $118,000 on Minecraft and Roblox ads using his dad Dave's company card linked to his Google account, prompting an employer investigation; some promoted videos hit ~200,000 views, the family will add spending controls, and the amount isn't independently verified.

Voice: Jak ConnorSpeed

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A father says his 9-year-old son spent over $118,000 on YouTube advertising for his Minecraft and Roblox YouTube channel using the dad's company credit card.

The incident started when the boy, known as Mighty Mike Plays, struggled to gain traction with his videos. His father, Dave, helped set up a $20 ad campaign, but the boy quickly escalated, launching his own ad campaigns without understanding the financial implications. Over the next three weeks, Mike allegedly ran up a staggering $118,000 in charges. Yes, $118,000 on YouTube channels advertising in three weeks.

Dave revealed the story in a recently uploaded video on his son's YouTube channel, where he explained that his company credit card was linked to his Google account. Mike had access to this Google Account without limits or parental controls, enabling him to run as many ad campaigns as he wished. "More money, more views," the father said his son said when he asked why he spent so much.

The spending included promotions for videos titled "Mighty Mike" and "Epic Roblox," with some reaching 200,000 views. Dave now faces an internal investigation by his employer, which has yet to determine if he'll be held personally responsible.

The family is now planning to implement strict payment controls and spending caps on Mike, and the channel may be paused until "real guardrails" are in place. When asked if Mike had anything to say, the 9-year-old replied, "I'm definitely cooked."

Frequently Asked Questions

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Question #1

How was the $118,000 YouTube ad spend possible without parental controls on the Google account?

It was possible because his dad's company credit card was linked to the Google account, and the boy had access to that account without limits or parental controls. That let him launch as many ad campaigns as he wanted.

Question #2

What did Dave say he will change to stop Mighty Mike Plays from spending company money again?

Dave said he will put strict payment controls and spending caps in place. He also said the channel may be paused until real guardrails are set up.

Question #3

What kind of internal investigation is Dave facing from his employer over the company credit card charges?

Question #4

Did YouTube or Google respond to the ad spending on the linked account?

No response from YouTube or Google is mentioned in this story. It only says the spending figure and the company's response have not been verified. So this piece does not show a reply from either company.

Have a question that isn't listed here? Ask below, and TweakBot will answer it.

It should be noted the $118,000 figure, along with the company's response, hasn't been verified or authenticated. However, the YouTube video where Mike's dad reveals the expenditure has since gained 158,000 views, and the channel has since reached 23.6K subscribers.