With his mother's cell phone: Seven-year-old gambled away around 2700 euros

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Many smartphone games offer purchases within the app. A family from Lower Saxony had to experience that you can quickly lose track of things. The seven-year-old son gambled away over 2700 euros - without the parents' knowledge.


Many children gamble on their parents' cell phones - the mother of a seven-year-old now had a nasty surprise: the boy made in-app purchases for a game totaling 2,753.91 euros. His mother had allowed him to play the colorful online game and spend small sums on a voucher card. But the woman no longer remembered that her credit card was also on file. Your little son then secretly continued to play, as stated in a statement from the Lower Saxony consumer center on Monday. 


Most of the demands were waived


Minors are only allowed to make purchases within the scope of their pocket money without the permission of their parents. "Therefore, it is usually worthwhile to contradict the demands," said the legal expert at the consumer association, Kathrin Körber. In the case of the seven-year-old, the mother had not signed a contract with the game provider. According to a letter from the consumer association, the company waived the majority of the claim - a total of 2654.31 euros, reported Körber. For data protection reasons, she did not say where exactly the family lives in Lower Saxony.


Password protection should be set up


Especially in the pandemic, she can understand parents who - for example, when they work in the home office - give their children their cell phones from time to time, said the legal expert. However, parents should check the settings of their devices beforehand. This is what the consumer advocates are pointing out on the occasion of Safer Internet Day this Tuesday. For example, password protection for purchases or a third-party lock from the mobile network provider can protect against unwanted costs.