Connecticut mom warns parents of monitoring authorized purchases after son spends $16K on Apple store video game

A Connecticut mother has a message for parents after she says her 6-year-old son racked up thousands of dollars on in-app purchases while playing his favorite video game on an iPad.

The video above is about phone apps disguised as a calculator and phone settings apps that help teenagers hide things from their parents.

Jessica Johnson, a Wilton resident, told “Good Morning America” ​​that her son George spent a total of $16,293.10 in Apple App Store charges over the summer to buy rings for the game Sonic Forces. Johnson said her PayPal account was linked to the iPad.

Johnson shared her experience on her Facebook moms’ group in hopes that she can prevent this incident from happening again.

“As a mother of young children, I thought it was important for other parents to be aware of that,” Johnson said. “It’s unfortunate because we’re all in a pandemic, we’re all working from home. We’re working very hard to entertain our kids while they’re getting work done. We (sometimes) tend to say, ‘Here, take the iPad.’ I think it clearly backfired in my case.”

Johnson, a real estate agent and mother of two, said that on July 9, she noticed the same charge of $106.34 appeared 12 times in a row on her bank statement. In a transaction report Johnson shared with “GMA,” there were also fewer charges of $53.16 and several more in the $200 to $600 range.

Johnson said she contacted her bank about the activity. The bank informed her in October that she would be responsible for the charges and suggested that she reach out to Apple. Johnson said she contacted Apple as well as Sega, the video game developer that owns Sonic the Hedgehog.

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Sega has not yet responded to “GMA’s” request for comment.

Johnson said she got a call from Apple on Tuesday, and the company agreed to refund her a portion of her money.

“They refunded me $10,553.86,” she said, adding that she did not know the meaning of the dollar amount.

Apple confirmed to “GMA” it was able to provide Johnson with a refund for all the charges the company could identify.

“For more than a decade, the App Store has proven to be the safest and most trusted place to discover and download applications,” Apple said in a statement to “GMA,” stressing that its products tools have implemented to help customers protect themselves and their active. families.

“We understand errors can still happen and are working with customers to investigate, educate them about the tools available for their protection and, in this case, provide the customer with a refund,” Apple said. said.

Johnson said she set a passcode on the iPad, which she and her children share, although she believes her settings allowed a one-time passcode entry.

“I didn’t realize there was an institution where the child could continue to buy after a certain time without the password,” she said. “There are several institutions I’m learning about now.”

Apple said its customers are provided with built-in tools to help parents manage their child’s use of devices. These resources also aim to protect families from unauthorized in-app charges.

The tools include parental controls, the ability to set up an Apple ID for each member of the family, family sharing, and enabling “Ask to Buy,” where if kids want to buy or download a new item, they request to their family sends organizer, who can then approve or reject the request.

According to Apple, customers can require a password for every purchase or require a password every 15 minutes. They can also choose how often they want to enter a password when they buy items, including in-app purchases, from the App Store and iTunes Store.

“Always require” means every time you make a purchase, you’ll be asked to enter your password, even if you’re signed in with your Apple ID.

“Required after 15 minutes” means that if a password has been entered within the last 15 minutes, the customer will not be prompted to enter the password again.

Within Parental Controls, customers can manage in-app purchases and Ask to Buy, keep track of family app usage, create app limits, allow only child-safe apps, and set downtime for specific times when apps and notifications are blocked.

Johnson said it was a positive outcome when Apple reached out to her to help fix the problem.

She said she wanted to draw attention to how games are designed for children.

“It was deliberately designed to be a brain chemistry experience that one would get as an adult in a casino,” Johnson added.

In Sonic Forces, players compete for rings in exchange for upgrading characters. In-app purchases include 150 Red Star Rings for $1.99 to a bundle of 17,500 for $99.99.

Johnson said she asked her child if he remembered how many bundles he clicked to buy, but he didn’t have a sure answer.

“It creates a compulsion to keep going,” Johnson said of the game. “I think that’s what drove my son to keep pushing the button, to get more players, to run faster.”

News outlets picked up Johnson’s story after parents responded to her in social networking groups, exchanging tips on maxing out privacy settings and sharing parenting tactics on how to handle kids and screen time.

Johnson said if you share a device, you should default to the setting you would use for your child. “And look over your child’s shoulder,” she added. “See what they really see.”

Becky Worley, “GMA’s” technology contributor and correspondent, agreed. Many games that appeal to children have in-app purchases, and parents have to check every time a game is played or a game is downloaded.

“Passwords are private. It may seem counterintuitive, like you’re keeping secrets from your kids, but it’s a way to protect them and yourself,” Worley said. “Children should not be able to access any in-app purchases without parental supervision.”

Echoing Johnson, Worley said parents should learn what their children are doing online. Talk about things like in-app purchases, and — better yet — play with them, Worley said.

“Parents should ask questions like, ‘Who do you play with?’ “What do you like about a game?” and “When do you know you’ve played too much?” Worley said, adding that parents should check devices to make sure kids can’t install apps without your permission and set up kids’ devices with parental controls so parents can monitor their own devices.

News outlets picked up Johnson’s story after parents responded to her in social networking groups, exchanging tips on maxing out privacy settings and sharing parenting tactics on how to handle kids and screen time.

Johnson said if you share a device, you should default to the setting you would use for your child. “And look over your child’s shoulder,” she added. “See what they really see.”

Becky Worley, “GMA’s” technology contributor and correspondent, agreed. Many games that appeal to children have in-app purchases, and parents have to check every time a game is played or a game is downloaded.

“Passwords are private. It may seem counterintuitive, like you’re keeping secrets from your kids, but it’s a way to protect them and yourself,” Worley said. “Children should not be able to access any in-app purchases without parental supervision.”

Echoing Johnson, Worley said parents should learn what their children are doing online. Talk about things like in-app purchases, and — better yet — play with them, Worley said.

“Parents should ask questions like, ‘Who do you play with?’ “What do you like about a game?” and “When do you know you’ve played too much?” Worley said, adding that parents should check devices to make sure kids can’t install apps without your permission and set up kids’ devices with parental controls so parents can monitor their own devices.

One lesson is learning what money is, Samar said, which requires knowing how to make it a tangible concept. “Even if they don’t earn chore money, what would be the equivalent of paying back $16,000 at this age?” she asked.

Samar said children might be happy to do a few extra chores around the house if they owe a debt. That way, it’s something they can control to fix – especially if they feel guilty.

However, she added, it is important that parents do not drag out the punishment and convey to the child that they are forgiven.

As for technology use, Samar suggests making a rule that children go to mom and or dad when something new appears on the screen.

“Instead of clicking on it, make these decisions together,” she said.

Samar added, “As the brain matures, we’re able to resist impulses more and more. But really, at the age of 6 … it’s really hard not to get into these quick connections within these apps (click ) not.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics told “Good Morning America” ​​in March that it recognized children would use more screen media during the pandemic “whether for entertainment, education or social connection.”

One of the organization’s top tips for managing screens is to make a plan.

“Talk to your children about what your daily structure will be, how you will handle stress and when you will take breaks from telecommuting or schoolwork to relax and connect,” the AAP wrote on its website.

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