How to prevent kids form online shopping sprees
This October, an Australian mother was left stunned when her eight-year-old daughter added up a bill of £600 (over Rs 61,800) while tinkering with her smartphone. The mother merely wanted to keep the child engaged, but she chanced on a department store’s website. The kid bought a ten-man tent, camping supplies, cooking utensils and inflatable pillows and mattresses. She also bought a box set of Harry Potter books. It seems she wanted to plan and shop for a family holiday. If you think older kids don’t practice this behaviour, check the Amazon and Flipkart yearly buying trends.
Teenagers blow money shopping before major holiday and festive seasons, and do not realise how huge the bill is getting till they are done, and then they don’t know how to edit the list down to essentials. Here’s what you can do to prevent this disaster.
Password-protect your accounts
Create separate, strong passwords for each online store account, and net banking account. Avoid words or numbers such as pet or family names, phone numbers, addresses or significant dates like anniversaries. Teach your kid the meaning of privacy and why passwords (including theirs) should not be shared.
Disable auto payment mode
Do not save any login credentials for banking apps. Also disable automatic payment via UPIs. Make sure you are not saving banking data on your browser, and do not use the ‘Show password’ mode for banking websites.
Check for alerts
If your phone is with your child, keep an eye on bank alerts. Act the moment you see something fishy going on. Set strong WiFi paswords. If you see unauthorised entry into the network, change the password and raise as alert with the service provider. Also check your credit card statements carefully. Contact your bank immediately if you suspect your card is being used outside your knowledge. Make sure your bank has current contact phone numbers and email ID for you so that you can be contacted immediately if they detect any unusual account transactions.