News about kids stealing their parents' credit cards to buy thousands of dollars' worth of Fortnite skins certainly instilled a deep fear of having kids into many, many people. However, a new survey shows that parents across Europe are taking a deeper interest into what exactly their kids are buying in games - and they're getting stricter.
It seems that the times when your parents didn't even know how to open an internet browser are over, and a new generation of kids could find themselves without a way to go haywire with microtransactions.
Out of all the parents with kids aged from 6 to 15 participating in this survey, 85% of the respondents say they have a deal with their kids regarding in-game spending, and 58% of them require children to ask for permission. Perhaps obviously, parents who play games themselves are more likely to have an agreement in place. More than half - 62% - say their kids spend between €1 and €20 a month, while 16% of parents don't actually know the number.
The study was done by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and included respondents from Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, and France. Only a tiny number of parents, 4%, doesn't actually know if their kids spend any money on in-game purchases. Interestingly, this percentage is also how many people responded that their kids spend more than €80 per month - the biggest amount you could reply with. Only 3% of people don't monitor their kids' spending at all. As for parents without agreements in place, they explain their reasoning by saying that, "As long as it's pocket money then they can spend it how they want," and that, "it is part of education to give trust."
The vast majority of parents are not easily swayed in favor of their kids nowadays. Two-thirds of all parents have heard of PEGI, so the chances of your average nine-year-old getting a game filled with nudity, blood and gore is getting harder than it used to be. Being older than that audience, it really makes you wonder how you're supposed to feel about that (other than thankful that wasn't the case for many of us).
"Encouraging responsible and balanced video game play is key to ensuring that our children enjoy all the benefits of this unique medium. Both industry and parents have an important part to play," said Simon Little, CEO of ISFE. And while that may ring true, this survey could be proof that the dreams and hopes of many spoiled nine-year-olds across Europe are being crushed on a daily basis. To that we say - are you sure you really need that epic skin to survive, buddy?
Source. ISFE