In-app purchases in children's games: what the rules say

Most stories about a child running up a bill inside a game are not stories about a broken system. They are stories about a system working as configured, on an account that was set up with an adult’s payment method and no additional gate.

The purchase needs a payment method

An in-app purchase runs through the platform’s store — Apple’s App Store or Google Play — not through the game itself. That means the purchase needs a payment method on the account. If no card or balance is attached, or if the account is a child account managed by a family group, the transaction typically requires approval from the family manager.

This is the single most effective control: decide whose account the game runs on, and what payment method that account holds. A child account with no payment method is a far stronger barrier than a verbal rule about not spending.

The store’s family tools are the lever

Both major platforms provide family supervision features that let an organiser approve purchases from a child’s account, and both let you disable or require a password for purchases entirely. Google Play’s parental controls let you restrict what content can be installed and require authentication for purchases. Apple’s Screen Time and Ask to Buy features route a child’s purchases to the organiser for approval.

The detail worth checking: “ask every time” is a different setting from “never”. A warning dialog is a speed bump for an adult and a minor obstacle for a determined child who knows the password.

Games marketed at children have extra obligations

Platform policies treat apps aimed at children more strictly. Google’s Families policy requires developers to declare their target audience, restricts how advertising can be delivered to children, and limits collection of certain identifiers. The FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule in the United States governs what can be collected from children under 13 and requires verifiable parental consent in many cases. Similar rules exist in other jurisdictions.

Those obligations sit with the developer. Your protection is that you can check what a game declares about its audience and whether purchases are part of the design.

What to actually check before installing

• Does the account holding the game have a payment method attached?
• Is “ask to buy” or its equivalent switched on, and does it cover in-app purchases rather than only app installs?
• Does the game use a currency bundle that hides the real price — a “gem pack” rather than a number in your own currency?
• Can the game be played usefully without spending, or does progression stall at a paywall?

Set the account up before the first session, not after the first surprise. The settings are boring, but they are the controls that speak to the payment rails directly rather than to the child.

Sources

• Apple — About the App Store and privacy — accessed 2026-10-28
• Google Play — Family policy requirements — accessed 2026-10-28
• Google Play — Set up parental controls — accessed 2026-10-28
• eCFR — 16 CFR Part 312, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) — accessed 2026-10-28