The safest approach is layered control: check a game’s purchase design before installation, give your child a separate account, turn purchases off or require approval where possible, and agree on a clear budget before money is spent. No single device setting is proven to cover every game, account or payment route, so review the controls for each platform your child uses.
In-game purchases are real transactions even when a game displays only coins, gems or other virtual items. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lists virtual currency, loot boxes, outfits, weapons, bonus levels and other digital goods as examples. Its parent guide also asks whether a game pressures children to buy in order to succeed or to avoid something bad happening in the game. Read the FTC guide to kids and video games.
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What counts as an in-game purchase?
An in-game purchase is anything bought with real money while using a game or its associated store. The item may be permanent, consumable, time-limited or randomized. A game can use several systems at once, and a free download can still encourage substantial spending.
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- Virtual currency: bundles of coins, gems, crystals or tickets that are later exchanged for items.
- Cosmetic items: outfits, animations, character appearances and other features that change presentation rather than ability.
- Power or progress: weapons, upgrades, extra lives, faster progress, bonus levels or other advantages.
- Loot boxes: paid containers whose contents are selected at random.
- Subscriptions and passes: recurring memberships, season passes or time-limited access.
- Paid unlocks and advertisements: prompts that sell additional features during play, sometimes after an app or subscription was described as complete or ad-free.
Store ratings are useful but incomplete. A rating is a starting point for age suitability, not a full inventory of purchase prompts, advertising or randomized rewards. Check the store listing, read independent reviews, and watch gameplay with your child before approving a download. The FTC recommends this kind of review and observation in its parent guidance.
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Why game design can make spending hard to notice
Virtual currency hides the dollar amount
Games often show a price in gems or coins rather than dollars. Children may remember the virtual balance and lose track of the original payment, especially when a large bundle is presented as better value. Explain the conversion before play: a bundle of gems still represents the exact amount charged to the family account. Look at the receipt or transaction history together when the price is unclear.
Random rewards change the decision
A loot box or similar item promises a chance, not a particular prize. A limited-time banner, attractive character or “one more try” message does not guarantee the desired result. The FTC’s consumer guidance explains why the odds and total possible spending matter; its 2019 alert is available at Video games and loot boxes: Your money. Ask the game to show odds where available, and decide in advance whether randomized purchases are allowed at all.
Pressure can be part of the experience
Use the FTC’s practical test: does the game manipulate a child into buying to succeed, or to prevent something bad from happening in the game? Repeated countdowns, urgent offers, progress blocked behind payment, or messages implying that a team will lose without a purchase deserve a closer look. Watch a normal play session rather than relying only on the store description.
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- Read the age rating and content descriptors. Treat them as a baseline, not a guarantee that purchase mechanics suit your family.
- Inspect the store listing. Look for labels such as “in-app purchases,” subscriptions, advertising and randomized items. Confirm whether the game is free to download but sells content inside play.
- Read recent reviews. Search specifically for reports of aggressive prompts, recurring charges, forced purchases or changes after an update.
- Watch representative gameplay. The FTC suggests watching with your child. Note when purchase prompts appear, whether progress is blocked and whether currency is used instead of a cash price.
- Check every account involved. A game may have its own login in addition to the phone, console or computer account. Determine where purchases are billed and whether progress is shared across devices.
- Decide the family rule before download. Choose whether purchases are prohibited, allowed only with approval, or allowed within a defined budget. Also decide whether subscriptions and randomized rewards are permitted.
How do I stop my child from making in-game purchases?
Start with a child-specific account, not an unrestricted adult profile. The FTC recommends separate family profiles with limits tailored to each child. Then use the strongest control available at every layer: block purchases where possible; otherwise require an adult password or approval; use a spending cap only when you are comfortable granting that permission. The FTC explains that “In-game purchase restrictions help you limit or block in-game spending.” Its guide lists device and publisher resources.
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Controls differ by provider, country, account age and software version. A device-level switch may not cover a game’s separate account, a linked console, a web store or a payment method saved elsewhere. Check the current instructions from the device maker and game publisher, and repeat the review after major software or account changes.
| Control | What it does | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Block purchases | Prevents transactions through the specific account or store. | Whether subscriptions, web purchases, linked accounts or gift balances remain outside the block. |
| Password or adult approval | Pauses a purchase until an adult authenticates or approves it. | Who receives the request, whether approval is remembered, and which account is billed. |
| Spending limit | Sets a maximum amount for the covered account and period. | The period, currency, included purchase types and whether the limit itself authorizes spending. |
| Notifications and history | Shows receipts or alerts so you can detect a transaction quickly. | Whether alerts go to the parent and whether all devices and payment routes appear in one history. |
Can I set a spending limit on a child’s game account?
Often, yes, but a limit is not the same as a block. It grants permission up to the stated amount for the account and period it covers. PlayStation’s United States family-control information describes monthly limits for child accounts; its terms say the default limit is zero and that raising the limit represents the Family Manager’s approval for purchases up to that amount. Purchases are charged to the Family Manager’s wallet. Check the current interface and country-specific terms at PlayStation parental controls and PlayStation Network Terms of Service (March 2025).
Choose a limit only after deciding what it covers. A monthly console limit may not include a purchase made through a game publisher’s website, another console, a mobile store or a separate payment account. If your goal is no spending, leave the limit at zero and require approval or disable purchases instead.
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Using Apple devices: Ask to Buy and version checks
Apple’s child-safety guide describes Ask to Buy for eligible App Store purchases, including in-app purchases. When enabled for the child’s family account, an adult receives a request and can approve or decline it. Availability and default behavior depend on the child’s age and region, and the linked guide states that the described features require operating-system version 27 or later. Confirm the child’s account, family settings, country and software version before following the current setup instructions at Apple’s child-safety guide.
Ask to Buy governs eligible App Store transactions; it does not establish that every purchase made in every game or on every website will pass through the same approval flow. Check the game’s own account and any other device the child uses.
Set rules that a child can actually follow
Agree on permission
Use plain language: “No purchase without asking,” “Only items on the approved list,” or “You may spend up to this amount during this period.” Decide whether the rule applies to gifts, gift cards, earned credits and subscriptions as well as a parent’s payment card. Put the rule somewhere both of you can see it.
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Make the price visible
Before a purchase, have the child state the real-money cost, not just the number of coins or gems. Show how a bundle changes the balance and whether unused currency expires. Keep receipts and review the transaction history together rather than treating a receipt as a punishment.
Discuss randomized and time-limited offers
Explain that a random reward may produce a duplicate or an unwanted item, and that a countdown does not make the item necessary. Set a family policy for loot boxes before a child encounters one. If the game repeatedly presents paid unlocks or ads that conflict with your rules, stop and reconsider the game. The FTC’s 2025 alert notes that some games advertise paid unlocks during play; it says, “Each click is a payment.” Read the alert at What to know about kids and video games, ads, and unexpected payments.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Review charges and respond to an unexpected purchase
- Identify the billing account. Match the receipt to the console, phone or game-publisher account that processed it.
- Check the purchase history. Look for the item, date, currency, recurring status and the account that authorized it.
- Secure access immediately. Change the relevant password, remove an exposed payment method if appropriate, and restore approval or blocking controls.
- Ask the platform or publisher about its current refund process. Keep the receipt and explain whether the purchase was unauthorized or made by mistake; eligibility depends on the provider’s policy and jurisdiction.
- Revisit the rule and game design. An accidental charge can reveal that a control covered one device but not another, or that a child could approve a purchase without adult involvement.
Do not assume that deleting a game cancels a subscription or reverses a charge. Confirm cancellation and any refund decision with the billing provider.
What the 2025 Genshin Impact case does—and does not—show
In January 2025, the FTC announced a proposed order concerning HoYoverse/Cognosphere and Genshin Impact. The Commission said the allegations and proposed terms addressed loot-box purchases by children under 16 without affirmative parental consent, disclosures about virtual-currency pricing and loot-box odds, and practices covered by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The announcement said a federal judge still had to approve the proposed order. The FTC quoted Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine saying: “Genshin Impact deceived children, teens, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning.” Read the announcement at the FTC’s January 2025 release.
This is a case-specific allegation and proposed resolution, not a universal rule that every game must follow or proof that all games use the same practices. Check the court status and the current terms for any game your child plays.
A practical control plan for families using several devices
Write down every place your child can play: phone, tablet, console, computer, cloud account and the game’s own login. For each one, record the account owner, payment source, purchase setting, approval method and notification destination. Apply the strictest setting first, then make a small test purchase only if you deliberately allow spending and can verify the receipt and approval path. Recheck after an operating-system update, a new device, a change in family membership or a game-account link.
Use this short review whenever a new game is requested:
- What can be bought, including subscriptions and randomized rewards?
- Where is the real-money price shown?
- Which account receives the charge?
- Can purchases be blocked or require adult approval?
- Does a spending cap apply to this exact account and billing route?
- Can the child see or use a saved payment method elsewhere?
- What is the family rule, and has the child repeated it back?
How much spending is normal?
There is no reliable general figure in the cited guidance for how many children make in-game purchases or what families spend on average. Set a limit from your household budget and the child’s maturity, not from an assumed national average or pressure from other players. A zero-dollar rule is valid; so is a small, pre-approved allowance if you can monitor it and the game’s design fits your values.
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