Not-for-profit internet safety body Internet Matters has today launched a free ten-point guide with tips to help kids and young people build good online money management habits.
The new Internet Matters guide covers several key issues parents may be worried about, including what to watch out for with in-app purchases, how ‘loot boxes’ in games work and how to spot online scams. One of the top tips is to make use of parental controls – the dedicated settings built into apps and devices which give you some choice over what your child can and can’t do, and for example let you turn off in-app purchases on an iPad. The Internet Matters website has step-by-step help on parental controls on many popular devices and apps.
A new survey of 2,000 UK parents commissioned by Internet Matters found some 43% of parents are concerned about their children spending money online in games and apps, and as many as one in eight (12%) of four and five year-olds have spent money online.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said: “We are aware of cases where parents have had surprises with costs accrued by their children online – more of a case of not understanding than anything else. It is a different world in terms of spending nowadays and we would encourage all parents to consider how they can educate their children in being money-conscious online.”
You can access advice on using parental controls to monitor and protect online usage here.
You can access online guidance on handling money safely online here.
