![]() That means if your children are racking up charges inside Facebook’s iPhone apps, the aforementioned Apple tools will help. Children can spend in games loaded inside Facebook’s mobile apps, which include Facebook and Facebook Messenger, or on a computer using. That’s because people can make purchases in games on the social network and on its family of apps - which include Facebook Messenger - in a dizzying variety of ways. The process for blocking in-app payments on Facebook is the most lacking and the most confusing, I found. This solution is imperfect because the child will need to use a separate Google account and password for unrelated tasks, like email, but it is more reliable than Family Link because the restriction won’t expire when the child turns 13. ![]() As long as you set a strong password and keep it secret, the child should not be able to make purchases. With this setting turned on, you will have to enter your password whenever the child tries to buy an app or goods inside an app. Tap on the “require authentication for purchases” option. Tap the hamburger menu (an icon with three lines) and scroll down to settings. Open the Google Play Store app on the child’s device. On your child’s Android device, set a password for the Google account that is used for making purchases from Google Play, which is the Android app store. While I do not recommend Family Link for managing a child’s app purchases, here’s an alternative method that is more reliable for regulating in-app payments on Android devices: ![]() But children can choose to leave Family Link once they turn 13 and remove the restrictions - a limitation I have criticized in the past. Google offers a parental control tool called Family Link, which includes a setting for requiring parental approval for app purchases. Google’s tool for managing a child’s app purchases on Android devices is incomplete compared with Apple’s. Then choose “in-app purchases” and select “don’t allow.”Īn Apple spokeswoman said the company designed the controls to “provide families easy ways to stay informed about kids’ screen time, set appropriate limits and approve their downloads and purchases.” Google Set a secret passcode and then tap “content & privacy restrictions.” From here, tap “iTunes & App Store purchases.” On the child’s device settings, choose “screen time” and select “this is my child’s iPhone.” You can also disable in-app payments on Apple devices altogether. The parent can approve or reject the purchases. ![]() It notifies the parent’s device whenever the child tries to buy an app or something inside an app. Then, the parent goes into the family sharing settings, selects the child’s account and turns on Ask to Buy. (If the child doesn’t have an Apple ID, the parent can create one and add it to the family group.) The parent then sends an invitation to the child’s Apple device to join the family account. It can be set up with the following steps:Ī parent first sets up a family sharing account, by going into the settings app, selecting “set up family sharing” and following the instructions. One is Ask to Buy, a set of controls that requires a parent to approve each app purchase on a child’s device. It offers several effective tools for restricting in-app payments on iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch. Let’s start with Apple, the maker of many of our devices and a purveyor of mobile games through its App Store. To come up with some solutions, I gathered many gadgets in my household - including devices from Apple, Google and Amazon - to devise a guide to fighting bait apps. “I think it’s really unfair to assume that the average parent is tech savvy.” “It’s incumbent on the tech companies who are selling you these apps and games to make it much easier for parents,” Mr. Even though his group reviews tech products for families and suggests limits on tech, he himself often has to call tech companies to reverse charges made by his 14-year-old son inside apps like Fortnite, the popular shooter game. Jim Steyer, who runs the nonprofit Common Sense Media, said fighting bait apps is often confusing. And tech companies typically don’t have much incentive to invest in safeguards because these purchases generate revenue. Many young ones are clever about finding workarounds when they are blocked. Unfortunately, preventing unwanted in-app purchases is far from straightforward.
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