Parents forced to spend £30 million due to 'freemium' model app charges

Parents across the UK have been forced to stump up a staggering £30 million, following their children getting a hold of their Smartphone’s and iPads. The issue is related to particular video game apps which employ the so called ‘freemium’ model, whereby while in-game, players are encouraged to purchase extra goodies. It can be a pop-up offering more coins or other in-game extras, which can be done with a click of a button. For parents who haven’t put control on their devices, children can easily gain access to credit or debit card details already stored and buy what they want.

Though the Office of Fair Trading has began an investigation, the issue is getting worse according to new research. The number of British parents hit with an unauthorised app purchase bill has risen to more than a quarter.

The worst comes from eight year old children, where it’s an average of £59 to parents bill, unlike the £34 which is run up by all kids. Windows Phone UK which conducted a survey said “Parents are worried about the impact of app and in-app purchases on their bills and this can cause stress. With technology becoming more and more intuitive, it’s important that parents can trust in the technology they use.”

Other incidents include a quarter of kids sneakily updating a parent’s Facebook, status, while one in five update their twitter accounts.

All very worrying. We urge parents to put better control on their Smartphones and tablets to protect themselves and provide peace of mind. Alternatively parents can buy a used iPhone or a second hand blackberry for their children at Revloc for very reasonable prices, which may be another safe option.

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http://www.revlocce.com/

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