MSE News: App games which tempt kids to spend cash could face fines

Percy1983

I do wonder how much better the population would be if we went back to survival of the fittest instead of the current "its always somebody else's fault" we currently have.

J_i_m

Percy1983 wrote: »

I do wonder how much better the population would be if we went back to survival of the fittest instead of the current "its always somebody else's fault" we currently have.

Well there has to be a balance of "sense" doesn't there?

I fully agree that we ought to be promoting personal responsibility, I always like to take responsibility for my own actions.

However just because someone happens to be a bit inadequate does not make it acceptable for someone else to exploit that and rip them off.

A "survival of the fittest" view is all very well, but there may be a time when you come to rely on someone else for things outside of your control. Basically people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones

matttye

Ultimate solution:

1. Disable in-app purchases by default.
2. Make it so that turning on in-app purchases requires a password and when it's turned on, a warning is displayed about the pitfalls.
3. Require a password every time an in-app purchase is made - by default.

(some devices already do some/all of these, but every device should do all of them).

OR

Make it so that no apps can charge people immediately without express written permission, but instead have to invoice people. If the invoice isn't paid or is disputed, the game can take back or withhold the purchase(s). Everything is under the game dev's control so they don't lose anything.

If in-app purchases is disabled by default, but is turned on (by entering a password) and then a child buys something, really the parent has no one to blame but themselves. If it is enabled by default, the parent may have no idea about that functionality and it's arguably not their fault.

DCFC79

Blastiel wrote: »

Have to say this should be all on the parents who use a tablet / phone like a free babysitter.

Why on earth would you give them a device like this at such a young age especially one already filled out with card details!

We need to stop protecting idiots from themselves.

Exactly, if no card details are linked to the account used on the tablet then no money can be spent in game.

DCFC79

matttye wrote: »

Ultimate solution:

1. Disable in-app purchases by default.
2. Make it so that turning on in-app purchases requires a password and when it's turned on, a warning is displayed about the pitfalls.
3. Require a password every time an in-app purchase is made - by default.

(some devices already do some/all of these, but every device should do all of them).

And if a password is used dont use an easy 1 but 1 with capital letters, numbers etc.

Sparhawke

The easiest way to protect any account is to make a really obscure passphrase, like "the dogs bollox looked extra swingy in the morning" and enforce it so that it has to be entered on every boot-up, credit submission and randomly.

Taking the first letter of every word and substituting numbers when you get either an 'e', 'i' or 's' you end up with:

tdbl351tm

Add FB, or MSE at the beginning so not all passwords are the same and you have:

MSEtdbl351tm

Now, apart from the proverbial monkey sat in infinity bashing out Shakespeare no one is going to guess that

And no, before you try it that is not my password, but I have done the same kind of thing for years and have NEVER had any account 'cracked'

WiggyDiggyPoo

Good grief. Trying to get kids to spend their parents money has been going on for years, the only difference is parents are paying no attention to what the kids are doing on these games so this is happening.

Why do video games need to be singled out like this, its not like temptation hasn't been placed within kids reach before....

• Hasbro created the Transformers cartoon for kids to sell more plastic robots (in fact google Hasbro and see just how many of their toys have cartoons made to hook kids onto them)
• Kellogs put small toys in their cereal to sell more dried rabbit food
• Games Workshop continually revise the rules of their games, and withdraw older races, so that you need to keep spending to keep playing.

In the MSE articles about this it says:

",,,,,,MSE is declaring "war" on mobile and tablet games that tempt kids to splash out huge sums of their parents' cash. "

Yet in the same series of articles MSE also says:

"The horrific bill highlights the ease in which kids can blow a fortune on devices where users have failed to tighten security settings."

So who are you declaring war on MSE? The games for being brash enough to tempt you to splash 'huge' (a speculative and opinionated term to start with) sums of cash or the users (i.e. the parents) who have failed to monitor their childs use of an internet enabled device.


:money:MoneySavingExpert.com creator Martin Lewis says: "It's pretty clear-cut that the My Little Pony app is not aimed at adults. This is a specific children's game and the fact it encourages children to spend £69.99 at a time on a 'mountain of gems' is disgusting and immoral.:money:

So a video game charging £69.99 is immoral but charging £69.99 for a toys isn't? Visit Toysrus.com and see some of the brands daring to charge £69.99. Perhaps MSE should declare war on Disney, Lego or Hasbro as well.

The bottom line is any parent that says they didn't know the apps would/could charge for additional items is either lying or simply not supervising their children enough.


Ps Is it such a great idea on a page where you are protesting so strongly about these games widely available on mobiles/tablets, to link to your guides on buying a cheap mobile/tablet?

nelly75_2

Dragonvale - BEWARE. Last night my 10 year old daughter managed to run up over £1000 in in-app purchases. Yes, my fault for not turning off the ability to do this on her device, BUT she is fully aware that some of the Apps do sell things using real money, and she has always taken pains to avoid this.

My massive concerns are:

1. When you first open the game, it asks for your date of birth, so it knows she is only 10
2. She said that the Market place where she purchased the items from said "Limited Time Offer - everything free", with a clock ticking down, and that the usual cost prices underneath the items were missing. She inevitably took full advantage...

I can't confirm this, as by the time we realised what had happened (when the fraud dept of my bank started ringing me), that message had gone. But I don't think she would have made this up... possibly she misinterpreted it. But she is an intelligent girl, and i am really concerned that this App is misleading children, if not being downright dishonest.

Luckily Amazon have been very responsible in refunding the money, and her Kindle is now locked down (and she is very nervous about using it). And she is feeling very sad that companies are out to get her - an unpleasant learning experience.

RichL74

Sparhawke wrote: »

The easiest way to protect any account is to make a really obscure passphrase, like "the dogs bollox looked extra swingy in the morning" and enforce it so that it has to be entered on every boot-up, credit submission and randomly.

Taking the first letter of every word and substituting numbers when you get either an 'e', 'i' or 's' you end up with:

tdbl351tm

Add FB, or MSE at the beginning so not all passwords are the same and you have:

MSEtdbl351tm

Now, apart from the proverbial monkey sat in infinity bashing out Shakespeare no one is going to guess that

So you then write that down somewhere so you dont forget it, put it in a safe place so you'll remember but your smart !!!! kid already knows the safe place you've put it so your rumbled.

DCFC79

nelly75 wrote: »

Dragonvale - BEWARE. Last night my 10 year old daughter managed to run up over £1000 in in-app purchases. Yes, my fault for not turning off the ability to do this on her device, BUT she is fully aware that some of the Apps do sell things using real money, and she has always taken pains to avoid this.

My massive concerns are:

1. When you first open the game, it asks for your date of birth, so it knows she is only 10
2. She said that the Market place where she purchased the items from said "Limited Time Offer - everything free", with a clock ticking down, and that the usual cost prices underneath the items were missing. She inevitably took full advantage...

I can't confirm this, as by the time we realised what had happened (when the fraud dept of my bank started ringing me), that message had gone. But I don't think she would have made this up... possibly she misinterpreted it. But she is an intelligent girl, and i am really concerned that this App is misleading children, if not being downright dishonest.

Luckily Amazon have been very responsible in refunding the money, and her Kindle is now locked down (and she is very nervous about using it). And she is feeling very sad that companies are out to get her - an unpleasant learning experience.

Just create her own account at amazon and dont link andy cads to it simple.