1:00
- family
- December 18, 2022
Mom sends warning after son racks up $16K on game
Jessica Johnson is sharing her experience to protect other parents, she says.
1:00
Johnson said it was a positive outcome when Apple reached out to her to help remedy the issue.
She said she wants to bring attention to how games are designed for children.
\"It's intentionally designed to be a brain chemistry experience that one would get as an adult in a casino,\" Johnson added.
In Sonic Forces, players compete for rings in exchange to upgrade characters. In-app purchases include 150 red star rings for $1.99 to a bundle of 17,500 priced at $99.99.
Johnson said she asked her child if he remembered how many bundles he clicked to buy, but he didn't have a sure answer.
\"It's creating a compulsion to want to keep going,\" Johnson said of the game. \"I think that's what drove my son to keep pushing the button, get more players, to run faster.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/mom-warns-video-game-ht-01-NP-201218_1608298592848_hpEmbed_3x4_384.jpg\")
News outlets picked up Johnson's story after parents responded to her in social networking groups, exchanging tips on maximizing privacy settings and sharing parenting tactics on how to handle kids and screen time.
Johnson said if you're sharing a device, default to the setting you'd use for your child. \"And look over your kid's shoulder,\" she added. \"See what they're really seeing.\"
Becky Worley, \"GMA's\" tech contributor and correspondent, agreed. Many games that appeal to children have in-app purchases, and parents should check for those each time a game is downloaded.
\"Passwords are private. It may seem counterintuitive, like you’re keeping secrets from your kids, but it’s a way to protect them and yourself,\" Worley said. \"Kids should not have access to any in-app purchasing without parental oversight.\"
Worley echoed Johnson, saying parents should learn what their children are doing online. Talk about things like in-app purchases, and -- better yet -- play with them, Worley said.
\"Parents need to be asking questions like, 'Who do you play with?' 'What do you like about a game?' and 'When do you know that you’ve played too much?'\" Worley said, adding that parents should check devices to make sure children can't install apps without your permission and set up kids' devices using parental controls so parents can monitor use from their own devices.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/mom-warns-video-game-ht-MAIN-np-201218_1608298112632_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Johnson said she has since made changes to her kids' media intake and enforced new rules in her home.
She's taken away device privileges and instead purchased a gaming console. \"They can't buy anything, to my knowledge, from that game,\" Johnson said, adding that she changed all her passwords and no longer allows unattended technology use.
Johnson also said she was careful on how she disciplined her first grader after he charged the large sum to her bank account.
\"He was very apologetic, and he's a sensitive kid,\" she explained. \"You think about the part of losing the money, but you never think about the kid ... them being afraid of getting in trouble.\"
Dr. Stephanie Samar, a clinical psychologist at the Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, said parents should ask themselves what lessons they want their child to learn.
One lesson is to learn what money is, Samar said, which requires knowing how to make that a tangible concept. \"Even if they aren't earning chore money, what would be the equivalent of paying back $16,000 at this age?\" she asked.
Samar said kids might be happy to do a few extra chores around the house if they owe a debt. This way, it's something they can control in order to make amends -- especially if they're feeling guilty.
However, she added, it's important parents don't drag out the punishment and relay to the child that they're forgiven.
As for technology use, Samar suggests making a rule that kids go to mom and or dad whenever something new pops up on-screen.
\"Instead of clicking on it, make these decisions together,\" she said.
Samar added, \"As the brain maturates, we are able to resist impulse more and more. But really, at the age of 6 ... it's really hard not to [click] in these quick engagements within these apps.\"
The American Academy of Pediatrics told \"Good Morning America\" in March it recognized children would be using more screen media during the pandemic \"whether for entertainment, education or social connection.\"
One of the organization's top tips for managing screens is to make a plan.
\"Talk with your kids about what your daily structure will be, how you will handle stress and when you will take breaks from tele-work or schoolwork to relax and connect with each other,\" the AAP wrote on its website.
The AAP published a list of ways to deal with increased screen time, which include using media together and finding offline activities.
Read more tips here.
Editor's note: This was originally published on Dec. 18, 2020.
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