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- Game over: the State Duma proposed to oblige gaming platforms to coordinate with parents on children's purchases
Game over: the State Duma proposed to oblige gaming platforms to coordinate with parents on children's purchases
The State Duma has proposed that gaming platforms should be obliged to coordinate with parents the purchases made by minors in video games. The situation is becoming more and more serious. Teenagers can even go on a crime, because children's video games use a lot of manipulation to earn money, experts say. How to protect the child from rash spending - in the material "Izvestia".
Radical approach
Game platforms may be obliged to coordinate with parents purchases made by children. With such a proposal was made by the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Boris Chernyshov. The deputy has already sent the initiative to the head of the Ministry of Digitization of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadaev.
Chernyshov pointed out the need to establish mandatory requirements for gaming platforms, according to which every financial transaction made by a child will be coordinated with the adult responsible for him.
"Otherwise, the user should have the right to return the funds spent by his child," the document emphasizes.
The parliamentarian asked the Minister to consider developing regulations obliging gaming platforms to ensure transparency of transactions. They should not lead to unconscious spending.
"Gaming companies justify that it is technically difficult to verify every transaction, but in the era of digital technologies such explanations look untenable," Chernyshov argues.
He believes that modern tools make it possible to verify a user's age and implement parental controls. There are also technologies with the help of which it will be possible to require additional confirmation of a transaction over a certain amount. However, the gaming industry, according to the parliamentarian, does not show initiative in this area, interested only in high revenues.
A hot topic
The situation with unauthorized purchases is indeed serious. Children without a shadow of a doubt give tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles for the sake of games. Sometimes the situation becomes really dangerous - for the sake of game improvements young users can go to crimes. For example, in Kolomna, a schoolboy stole 200 thousand rubles from his biology teacher for the sake of equipment in the computer game Counter-Strike.
Another problem is the vulnerability of children to fraudsters. Attackers lure minors out of large sums of money by promising them game currency and rare artifacts in return. In the Chelyabinsk town of Ozersk, in particular, criminals managed to steal about 60,000 rubles from a pensioner. The criminals deceived the woman's nine-year-old granddaughter, promising the girl help in buying game currency.
A similar situation, but with much more damage, occurred in Tomsk. There, a first-grade girl took out several loans on her parents to buy game money. In total, the fraudsters were able to get more than 460 thousand rubles.
Easy target
The influence of scammers is one of the most common scenarios in which a child can start spending money in a game, says Andrei Sidenko, head of online child security at Kaspersky Lab.
- Attackers use social engineering techniques to gain trust and access to bank cards. Scenarios can be different. The main thing for fraudsters is to evoke a strong emotion in a child - joy, expectation, fear," the expert says.
For example, potential victims are promised a free introduction to another novelty from the game world before the official release or participation in a game tournament with a prize fund. For this purpose, a user can be asked to log in to their game account on a specially created phishing site.
- If the victim enters data into such a form, the account will fall into the hands of attackers. And if a bank card is linked to the account, there may be "uncontrolled" spending," the Izvestia interlocutor said.
According to him, attackers can also implement multi-stage schemes. For example, they offer to fill out a questionnaire with questions that will allow them to find out the details of the bank card of the young victim's parent.
Fraudsters also use in-game values, Sidenko points out. In particular, they "sell" game currency, clothing and equipment for game characters, "pumped up" accounts at favorable prices, and so on.
Achild can fall under the influence of cheaters if there is no trusting atmosphere in the house, warns acting psychologist and business communicator Iya Kim. For this, the parent will at best pay with lost money. Unfavorable situation at home, devaluation of achievements and difficulties will lead the child to seek another reality, which will give him the illusion of false control. In such a situation, the minor is vulnerable and may become a victim of deception.
Manipulative approach
However, a child can spend a large sum of money without the influence of malicious people, notes Ekaterina Duma, founder of the game studio Altenia Game.
- Although some platforms have already implemented parental control mechanisms, they are not always effective or widely used. In a number of cases, children make purchases without realizing their real value, which often causes conflicts in families," says the Izvestia interviewee.
Children's video games use many manipulations to earn money, confirms clinical psychologist Ekaterina Soldatova.
- They are mainly aimed at the child's desire to be the best and win. He falls into this addiction and begins to impulsively spend money on pumping his hero again and again. In real life and society, it is much harder to achieve recognition and respect than in video games, so children transfer huge sums just to constantly confirm their self-confidence," explains the specialist.
This becomes a serious problem when a child starts spending not his own accumulated funds, but parental funds, having gained access to an adult's bank card, the expert warns.
Teenagers approach purchases in games more consciously, says Ekaterina Duma. They, as a rule, already have experience in financial management and understanding of the real cost of virtual goods.
- However, aggressive marketing mechanics in games, such as "lootboxes", in which the player receives random items, encouraging repeated spending, and temporary offers with discounts, designed to create a sense of urgency, can significantly reduce their ability to make rational decisions,- says the interlocutor of "Izvestia".
Protect the valuable
Inorder to protect children from rash spending, it is necessary to tell them about threats on the Internet and ways to counter them, believes Andrei Sidenko.
- It is necessary to explain what confidential data is and why attackers are trying to find out the full name, phone number, home address and bank card numbers. It is worth literally talking through possible scenarios so that the child understands what exactly will happen if information about him or her ends up in the hands of fraudsters," the expert advises.
It is also important to use technical means of protection, telephone number identifiers and parental control programs, says the expert.
- In general, it is important to develop a child's critical thinking when in the game space. Fortunately, such opportunities are now provided by representatives of government regulators, educational organizations and large IT companies that conduct educational activities in this area," Sidenko reminds.
Financial literacy training can also help children cope with impulsive purchases, believes Ekaterina Soldatova. It is desirable to start it from an earlier age.
- Parents need to talk to their children about the functions of money. Explain where they come from and how to properly dispose of them," the psychologist points out.
Not an ideal measure
The State Duma initiative may help protect children from ill-considered spending if an elaborate system of transaction confirmation is introduced, says Ekaterina Duma. For example, through SMS notifications and other two-factor authentication mechanisms.
- Currently, many purchases in game stores are made without additional checks, which facilitates accidental or ill-considered spending, especially for minors. The introduction of mandatory parental notification of every purchase and the need for their consent could significantly reduce the risk of uncontrolled spending," the expert believes.
However, there may be difficulties in implementing such a restriction. Among them, Ekaterina Duma emphasizes the need to adapt game platforms to the new requirements, which will require additional resources.
- There is also a risk of resistance from players, especially teenagers, who may perceive such measures as a restriction of their freedom. It is important to provide for the protection of personal data and convenience for parents, so that the system does not cause excessive difficulties," emphasizes the expert.
