For many parents, the question of how to wean children off spending money on games becomes a real headache. In a world where technology plays an increasingly significant role when faced with such a problem, it is necessary to find a solution that is effective and balanced.
Every parent is familiar with situations where, after a few “innocent” games on a tablet or smartphone, there are unpleasant surprises in the form of hundreds of dollars disappearing from the bank account. However, there are ways to avoid such situations without resorting to drastic measures and instead teach children to be sensible and responsible with money and new technologies.
Parental supervision is a trusted helper
Parental controls are a powerful tool to help ensure that children are safe and responsible with their money in a world of digital entertainment. Setting a password is one of the key methods of controlling spending.
Often, children don’t realize the value of money and may spend it on virtual purchases without properly understanding the consequences. Parental controls allow adults to protect the family budget while teaching children financial responsibility.
You can install parental controls on the following devices:
- Home Wi-Fi can be a powerful tool for online security and control. Some routers come with software installed that allows you to set parental controls across your entire network. This means that control extends to all connected devices, which is a tangible plus. However, this approach has its drawbacks – it sometimes provides a different level of granularity of control than setting it up separately on each device. It’s therefore worth checking with your ISP or searching for products online using key terms such as ‘routers for kids’, ‘Wi-Fi for kids’, ‘routers for the whole family’ and ‘kid-safe Wi-Fi’.
- Mobile devices also provide parents with the ability to set controls over children’s Internet activity. For example, Apple products can restrict access to certain websites, in-app purchases and more. Android devices don’t have built-in parental control features but allow control through Google Family Link.
- On PCs, you can block websites and view activity reports. For example, prevent a child from opening sites like topcadcasinos.net where they give no deposit casino free spins and being tempted to start gambling.
- All major gaming consoles have parental control measures in place, providing additional ways to monitor children’s activity in the gaming world.
Understanding the importance and value of money
In addition to setting a password, it is important to develop an understanding of the value of money in children. Discuss with them the importance of financial responsibility and the consequences of spending money on games. Show them examples of the kinds of things you can buy with savings and the importance of thinking through financial decisions.
Parents can also help children learn how to manage personal finances. Allocate a small amount of money that they can manage on their own. Help them make a budget and keep track of how they spend their savings. This is a learning process that will allow them to learn how to appreciate and manage their money skillfully.
Finally, encourage your kids to pay attention to other hobbies that don’t require an ongoing financial outlay. Sports, outdoor activities, art, and reading – these fun activities will help them realize that happiness and enjoyment can be achieved without constantly spending money on virtual purchases.
Parental control combined with parental education and coaching can be an effective tool not only for protecting the family budget, but also for building financial literacy and responsibility in children.
