The number of troubles in which children charge their smartphones on their own has increased rapidly, and in some cases 1.5 million yen has been charged.

 
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, an incorporated administrative agency, warns that the number of troubles in which children use smartphones, tablets, game consoles, etc. to charge a large amount of money for online games without the permission of their parents is increasing rapidly.

Children pay a lot for games

 
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, in 2020, the number of consultations regarding online games increased due to the increase in stay home time, and the number of consultations involving elementary school to high school students reached 3,723.
 
In some cases, children are enthusiastic about online games and have charged a large amount for items in the game, and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan publishes actual consultation cases to alert them.
 
Specific examples of consultation are as follows, and all cases are cases in which elementary school children charged a large amount for online games.
 

• I was charged a large amount for “carrier payment” on my smartphone
• I charged more than 1.5 million yen and deleted the payment completion email
• Charge with a registered credit card using your parent’s account
• Children pretend to be 20 years old or older and charge 300,000 yen or more

problem

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has pointed out that there are some cases where parents use their smartphones for their children and cases where parents overlook the payment completion email.
 
Also, because the items in the online game are purchased with a credit card, it seems that the child may not be aware that he / she is making a large purchase.

measures

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has posted the following advice to avoid high-priced troubles caused by children.
 

• Family discussions about online game billing
• Don’t let your child use your parent’s account
• Create an account for children and implement parental controls
• Check the parent account settings in advance

 
Furthermore, if a minor charges for an online game without the permission of their parents, it may be possible to cancel the contract, and if there is a problem, we are calling for contact with the nearest consumer service center.
 
In addition, there are cases overseas where children charge for games etc. and parents receive high charges, and in the past, 6-year-old children charged as much as 16,000 dollars (about 1.7 million yen). In addition, there have been reports of cases in which a car was sold in order to pay a large amount of money.
 
 
Source: National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan
(seng)

Source: iPhone Mania