App purchases by children now cost UK parents £30m per year, Microsoft claims

A quarter of parents have been stung by costly mobile app and in-app purchases made without permission by their children.

According to research from Microsoft Windows Phone, the unauthorised transactions on smartphones and tablets are adding a whopping £30m a year to the collective monthly bills of mums and dads.
 
That equates to an average extra monthly cost of £34.18 with one in seven facing this kind of so-called 'bill shock' worried they could not afford to pay the charges.

A third of the 2,000 adults questioned now choose to hide their mobile devices from their children but nearly one in five admit they still share their smartphone and tablet passwords with their youngsters.

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Worringly, a quarter do not take any security measures at all to lock their smartphone or tablet and half have their device linked to a subscription service or direct debit account that can be easily accessed.

Shockingly 42% are still unaware you can make purchases within an app that can be charged to your payment method

Brett Siddons, of Windows Phone UK, said: “Our research reveals parents are worried about the impact of app and in-app purchases on their bills and we understand the stress this can cause."

The research also discovered eight year olds apparently run up the largest app costs adding an average of £59 to bills. But the intuitive nature of touchscreens for younger kids now also means more than a third aged four and under have made app and in-app purchases without parental permission.

Microsoft's research comes as John Lewis reveal more than three quarters of parents are being forced to ask their children for technology advice.

The store chain identified a phenomenon dubbed Teenage Tech Advisors (TTAs), youngsters being called on to help set up and explain everything from social networks to TVs to smartphones and tablets.

Its research found a third of kids were asked for advice on the best products to purchase, and they may be using their parents lack of knowledge to their advantage.

The survey also shows how one third of mums and dads now receive gadget hand-me-downs from their children, who are given the latest device bought by the parent.

Matt Leeser, of John Lewis, said: "Children are more exposed to new gadgets and services and that's why parents are turning to their tech savvy kids for advice."

But dad-of-five Ahad Surooprajally admits he feels embarrassed having to ask for help all the time. He said: "It is a bit of a comedown. You raise them up and teach them how to read and write and then tomorrow comes and you are the student and they are the teacher.

"Technology is a little bit intimidating. We have four computers and four iPads in our house. You look at it and feel you are left so far behind. There is such a gap to catch up and so it is easier just to ask them to do it rather than try and learn how to do it yourself."

However, compared to their children, adults aren't splashing the same amount of cash on apps and in-app purchases. Research from uSwitch shows Brits download an average of 29 apps for their smartphones but pay for just one in ten of them.

Many also have an "app graveyard" on their handsets with six in ten smartphone owners using less than half the apps they download. Nearly a third use less than a quarter.
 
Ernest Doku, of uSwitch.com, said: "While some are downloaded out of curiosity, people often get 'free' apps only to find they are riddled with pop-up ads or that they must then pay to unlock more than the basic functions."

And he had a warning for parents being hit by their kids' download usage. He added: "While many apps cost less than £1, these purchases can really mount up so be careful about what you buy.

"Apple is currently offering compensation to US parents whose kids have made such purchases without their permission, some racking up mammoth bills. It's easily done and something I would urge British parents to avoid as it can be a costly lesson to learn."