In-app purchases and kids: how to lock them and what to do if they already bought

How a child ends up buying something

• The money doesn’t look like money. In the game, prices show up as gems, coins or “unlock everything”. A child aged 3 to 8 doesn’t connect that with real money on a card.
• The payment screen looks like part of the game. A big, bright button with an animation. Your child taps it like they tap everything else.
• The phone doesn’t ask for anything. If a card is saved in Google Play and authentication isn’t required for every purchase, one tap can be enough.
• Ads lead to the store. Some in-game ads take the child out of the app and into Google Play. More on that in ads in kids’ games.

Your child isn’t “stealing”. They’re doing exactly what the game asked. That’s why the fix is in the settings, not in punishment.

How to lock purchases, step by step

1. Require authentication for every purchase

Open the Google Play app, tap your profile picture, then Settings → Authentication → Require authentication for purchases. Choose the option that requires it for all purchases on this device. The exact wording can vary slightly between versions. If it’s set to “every 30 minutes” or “never”, a child can buy something without you knowing, right after you’ve typed your password.

2. Keep your password private and watch the fingerprint

Children pick up the code a parent types surprisingly fast. If you use your fingerprint, don’t press it onto the sensor for them “to make the game work”.

3. Check the game before you hand it over

The app’s Google Play page usually says whether it contains in-app purchases and ads. Play it yourself for five minutes: if there’s an offer on every level, it isn’t a game for a four-year-old.

4. For your child’s own device: Google Family Link

If your child has their own phone or tablet with a child Google account, Family Link lets you require your approval for purchases. The request arrives on your phone and you decide.

5. Give your child one simple rule

“If you see a button with money, gems or a shopping basket, show it to me first.” And praise them when they do: “Well done for calling me.” Don’t make them feel guilty about what already happened.

If they’ve already bought something

Don’t wait. The sooner you ask, the better your chances.

• Find the order. In Google Play, from your account menu, under payments and order history, or at play.google.com under order history.
• Request a refund. Next to the order there’s usually an option to report a problem or request a refund. Keep it simple: “This purchase was made by mistake by my child, without my consent.”
• If that doesn’t work. You can write to the game’s developer (the contact is on the app’s page) or contact Google Play support.
• Then lock it. Do step 1 above straight away so it doesn’t happen again.

Watch out for subscriptions too. Some games offer a “free trial” that turns into a paid subscription on its own. Check in Google Play, under payments and subscriptions, whether one has started, and cancel it there. Uninstalling the game doesn’t cancel the subscription.

With your child, keep it short and calm: “That button took real money from our account. From now on, show me first.” No big scene: they didn’t design the game that way.

Where Pauzi helps

In child mode, your child sees only the apps you chose, so they can’t reach Google Play unless you allowed it. Pauzi also blocks ad exits that try to pull them out of the game, and shows you how many it stopped. Purchases inside an allowed game, though, are locked by the Google Play setting, so do step 1 anyway. The two work together.