I’m confused by this article and its advice. The simplest way to limit my kid’s in-app purchases is to never let the kid store any of my credit card info on the device. I get him his own gift cards (iTunes, Nintendo, whatever) to use when he wants to purchase games or make in-app purchases. I mean, honestly, who trusts a teenager with his parent’s credit card? Hello?
29
Buy your kids a flip phone. They can use it to send and receive phone calls without internet connection. There is intelligent life out there without the internet
12
If you give your child your credit card, think it possible that he or she may use it.
8
WeoftheBalanitisResearchCommune: Prohibit our bairn from going online to play those silly games and run up charges for "accessories". Our bairn are reading books, writing stories, and playing live, physically active games. They do not have smartphones, personal computers, web access, or free time to pursue such dribble even if the BRC had such time wasters. We do not worry about data theft because the computation power we use is linked by fiberoptic cable and isolated from the www.
1
Please explain the choice of logos? Spotify aren't mentioned in the article, yet, you imply, they are a bait app, in your illustration!
4
Here's a widely unknown medical issue with these and all online "games" and indeed all online screen time: grandma was right--these activities collectively can indeed hurt your eyes.
I am an ophthalmologist and want everyone to know that the ocular surface drying out that occurs with repetitive and prolonged staring at screens (reduced blinking is a big factor) is now known to cause permanent atrophy of some of the eyelid glands that secrete vital components of the tear film. A recent study (I think at Duke) showed this permanent damage to occur even in young kids. This will create issues that are life-long and only get worse in later years.
Grandma was also right when she said go play outside. Kids playing outside, because of wind and dust, blink much more frequently and cause those same eyelid glands to function more intensively and thus stay healthier.
So, parents and kids: be aware of this and consider healthy long-term choices for your eyes, cut that online "game" time way back, and prioritize non-screen games and outdoor play over demonstrably harmful and addictive screen time. To the degree you can: as a parent I fully get the peer pressure aspects of this.
10
"... it’s really unfair to assume that the average parent is tech savvy.” Well, that's the point, isn't it? If they played fair, they'd make less money.
1
I grew up playing video games and I'm excited to share them with my kids as they grow in ability and maturity. We didn't have games with real-money-gambling mechanics imbedded in them when I was growing up. When you bought a game, you got to enjoy all of its content for one up-front fee. Quality games like that do exist today for mobile, PC, and game consoles, but they are losing popularity to the wildly profitable free-to-play "bait" games. Paying a few bucks up front for a quality game like DIRT Rally ($8 on sale) means I don't have to hear constant whining for me to come buy this car or that race track in one of the hundreds of free racing games that are out there. The whole game is there, and it's far superior game. Part of being a gamer father is teaching my kids what quality is when it comes to video games.
Unfortunately, I know this advice is less helpful when it comes to massively popular multiplayer titles like Fortnite. All of these multiplayer games use peer pressure to hook players into their economy of microtransactions and slot machine-esque lootboxes. It's a genre that is best avoided, right now, but good luck telling your teenagers not to play that Star Wars game that everyone else is playing.
Unfortunately,
6
Don't link your credit card to the child's account? That should be the obvious FIRST step here. If your child never has access to your credit card, then they can't buy things with it, plain and simple. If your child is physically stealing your credit card to use for these things, then I think as a parent you have bigger problems.
20
My son's iTunes purchases are funded with iTunes cards on the account and with an iTunes password unknown to him. We've never had a problem with overspending or unknown charges.
4
here's a better idea that works in all kinds of parental situations; discipline with specified accountability.
but that takes sooooo much effort.
17
Maybe restrict children’s access to digital baby sitters? Just a thought. Otherwise, indebted parents, I don’t want to hear about it.
14
With a few exceptions, contracts entered into by minors (i.e., most persons under 18) are voidable at the option of the minor. Shouldn't this include app purchases made on credit? (Facebook at least seems to have realized this, when it set up a refund process for a "purchase made by someone under 18 years old”). Unfortunately, pursuing this legal remedy is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult - so the app providers get away with taking advantage of minors.
10
There is an easy solution here. Do not put a credit card on your account. Or at least do not have it remember your card number. This has the added benefit if creating friction for impulse purchases. I have an android phone, Google has no credit card numbers for me.
Let your kids make their own accounts when they are old enough. No need to link to yours. Then, when they are old enough to get a credit card, hopefully they would have leaned how to be responsible by then.
22
How about this novel approach: DON'T LINK YOUR CREDIT CARD TO YOUR KIDS' DEVICE ACCOUNTS! If you are required to input a credit card number in order activate your kids' device, buy a $25.00 Visa gift card & use that. This method doesn't require a knowledge of rocket science -- just some basic common sense!
19
@Jeff
It's a good idea, but time-consuming and requires pre-planning. Which is also a good lesson for a child - you have to plan ahead and negotiate with your parents to get access to this app. But I can easily see where there might be occasions when it seemed unnecessary and then - woops! I know a child who racked up around $800 of charges for what he - at around eight years old - thought was play money within the game. He had the maturity not to buy things without his parents' permission, but he was mistaken about what was going on.
5
"..parents can always turn to a free tool: disciplining and educating their children."
Hmmm, well, fancy that.
Who'd have thunk?
8
@tartz Parenting is a lot easier when you don't have to helicopter. When my kids were growing up (in 20s now) the TV was in the closet and there was no pop in the fridge. They could do and eat whatever they wanted when they were home. It was so relaxing.
1
Refuse to pay the charges as fraudulent, purchased by a minor, and leave the credit card company on the hook. Then see how quickly these "bait apps" clean up their act.
This whole country is turning into bankers or robbers!
14
I don't understand how the kids have access to the credit cards in the first place.
13
they're linked to app store accounts. you're welcome.
7