Since most children use phones and tablets, there was more purchases by unauthorized app, raking huge and surprising bills for parents. Children make purchases while playing games, not knowing that buying things like gold rings to proceed to new levels, translates into real money. Consequently, there have been several settlements with companies to help protect consumers against costs that it will consent to.
FTC says parents are not responsible for these purchases
In 2013, Apple agreed to pay about $ 100 million in a class action lawsuit for parents whose children made purchases in its application store. Apple also updated its security policy to require a password for each purchase, and now uses a warning on some applications. Purchases of unauthorized applications have become a big problem, even the FTC got involved. "As more Americans embrace mobile technology, it is essential to remind businesses that consumer protection time-tested yet apply, including that consumers should not be charged for purchases they authorize" said FTC Chairman Edith Ramirez said in a statement.
Google is the latest company to face such trials. the giant of Silicon Valley just settled with the Federal Trade Commission to pay $ 19 million for unauthorized purchases in the Google Play Store. While Google has begun to require passwords for in-app purchases in 2012, he did not explain that, after putting the word happens once the children still had a 30 minute window to make purchases As part of its agreement with the FTC, Google offers refund for purchases between March 2011 and November 2014. if it is eligible for reimbursement consumers have until December 2015 to collect. The company said it will also change its billing practices to avoid these types of expenses in the future.
In addition to gaming applications, browsing the web and social networks are also common in children. As parents, we want to ensure that our children are watching appropriate content on these sites. Parental control software can help protect your children against harmful content when they use laptops, tablets and other devices. Visit our control critical software parents to see the top options.