Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Schemin' Apple(s)

Apple is facing a federal class-action lawsuit claiming that it is complicit in a scheme to get kids to buy things within apps (such as level-ups and game credits). These level ups and game credits are being promoted in games that are promoted to kids as being free. The reason this is so successful is because of how addictive the games are and how currency that can be bought with real money can help you advance in the game rather quickly. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into the matter. Apple has started to add warnings to games about in-app charges, but that's only half the battle. Parents need to control what their kids are doing online. They can't wait until the charges show up on a credit card bill to know what their kids have been up to. In this case I believe that Apple should not be held accountable. Many other companies use the "game credits" and "level-ups" tactics to try to get people to spend money on their games. It is simply a matter of parents controlling their children and not allowing them access to a credit card when they're online.

Other websites can be addictive as well. Personal experience....I was addicted to Ebay for a while. When I turned sixteen my parents gave me my own card with access to some of my accounts. I took this as an opportunity to do a bit of online shopping. It got to the point where I had spent a large amount of money on seemingly worthless items. Was it ebay's fault? NO. It was mine. I did not use my card properly and my parents had given me too much freedom with it before I was ready. That's why I believe Apple is not to blame. You can't always put the blame on a big corporation for something that is your fault as a parent.


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