Devastated father says his 9-year-old son spent $118,000 on YouTube ads

Commenters reacted to the story about a father who says his nine‑year‑old ran up roughly $118,000 on YouTube ad campaigns using a company credit card by dividing blame between parental mistakes, platform failures, and corporate policy. Many argued the father made a series of obvious errors: letting a child run a channel, saving a company card to a Google account the child used, and not managing or restricting purchases. Others said the charge looks suspiciously like misuse or even attempted embezzlement rather than an innocent mistake. Several people urged standard precautions such as not storing payment methods, using low‑limit debit cards for online purchases, and ensuring parents retain account control.

A substantial faction faulted Google/YouTube and ad platforms for weak verification and poor parental controls, calling for mandatory identity checks or contact for large transactions and tougher safeguards by default. Commenters shared varied workplace experiences with corporate cards - some describing tight reimbursements and personal liability, others recounting permissive practices - highlighting how company policy and accounting oversight affect outcomes. The discussion mixed practical advice (require CVV, separate cards, audit expense policies) with sardonic takes about modern parenting and online friction that enables catastrophic accidental spend.