Kids' unauthorised IAPs add £30m to UK parents' bills

May 8th, 2013, 23:18 Posted By: wraggster

Over a third of UK parents are hiding their mobile devices from their kids as unauthorised IAPs have added £30 million to smartphone and tablet bills.
According to research conducted by Windows Phone, one in ten parents whose children have purchased apps and IAPs without authorisation were concerned that they couldn’t afford to pay their increased bill.
The findings reveal for those parents who have suffered from unauthorised app or IAPs, eight year olds are running up the largest app costs, having added on average an extra £59.59 to their parents’ smartphone or tablet bill.
Unauthorised app purchases have added £30 million in total to parents’ smartphone and tablet bills across the nation.
Brett Siddons, Head of Consumer Marketing for Windows Phone UK, said: “Our research reveals parents are worried about the impact of app and in-app purchases on their bills and we understand the stress this can cause. With technology becoming more and more intuitive, it’s important that parents can trust in the technology they use and feel as safe as possible when handing over their smartphone and tablet devices to their children."
The latest Windows Phone handsets, which run Windows Phone 8, have an exclusive Kid’s Corner feature.
This gives parents the ability to set-up what their children can and can’t access. In-app purchases are automatically prohibited in Kid’s Corner – Windows Phones are the first smartphone to have this feature.
“We know from our customers that they want a simple and hassle-free way to share their smartphones with family members. The Kid’s Corner feature on the latest Windows Phones, as well as the ability to create separate accounts and use the Family Safety Tool for Windows 8 PC and tablet users, provide parents with an easy-to-use solution for this.”
Earlier this year, PCR reported that a five-year old boy spent £1,700 on iTunes. A short while laterthe OFT announced that it is to investigate free smartphones and online games that offer IAPs. In a similar way to Windows Phones separate accounts, Kurio tablet developer InspirationWorks has created parental controls to allow or block IAPs within apps as well as giving parents the option to set up ‘piggy bank’ accounts for their children so they can control their IAP spending.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...s-bills/030897

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