A group of parents filed a class action lawsuit in California court for a corporation Apple, complaining that its products are forcing children to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase within the application (in-app purchases). In the lawsuit states that “apple” company cashing in on the children, inviting them to download the game and then buy for parental money virtual currency, more levels and other bonuses.
This problem is often faced by parents when the business model of games targeted at children, based on purchases within applications, greatly expanding their functionality, says ArsTechnica. As an example tehnoblog leads Smurf’s Village, where users can buy for real money smurfberries (“smurfyagody”), and then exchange them for materials to build huts. In another popular children’s game – Tap Fish – you can buy virtual currency (fish bucks) to buy exotic fish or food.
Apple accused of earnings on children
In order to buy virtual goods from within an application, you must enter the password from the iTunes Store. Older versions of the iOS not required to re-enter within 15 minutes, and this time it was enough that the child had to make a purchase.
However, tehnoblog offers a fairly simple solution – create for children a separate account for iOS-devices and do not bind it to a credit card. Instead it is proposed to use a monthly payment or gift cards, iTunes, which can be activated only once.
Moreover, in iOS has long been the system of parental controls through which you can disable to make purchases within applications, and “apple” platform version 4.3, released in March this year for such purchases must enter another password.
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