qqqvvv May 7, 2025, 10:33 p.m.
Anyone know how mobile games target kids with gambling addiction tactics??
Just found out my 14-year-old son has been spending money on this "free" mobile game called Clash Royale and the charges on my credit card are insane. We're talking about $847 in the last two months alone and I had no idea this was even happening because the charges came through as small amounts like $4.99 and $9.99 at random times.
When I confronted him about it, he broke down crying and said he "needed" to buy these chest things to get better cards or he couldn't compete with his friends online. He kept saying the game kept showing him these special offers that were "limited time only" and he felt like he had to buy them or miss out forever.
The more I've researched this, the more disgusted I am. These games are literally using the same psychological tricks as slot machines to hook kids. They have these loot boxes where you don't know what you're getting, they send push notifications at specific times when kids are most vulnerable, and they make the free progression so painfully slow that kids feel pressured to spend money just to keep up.
What's really messing with my head is that my son is normally responsible with money and has never shown addictive behaviors before. But something about these games just flipped a switch in his brain. He was lying about homework, staying up until 3am playing, and becoming aggressive when I tried to limit his screen time.
Has anyone else dealt with this nightmare? I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to get refunds for these charges since they're clearly targeting minors with predatory tactics. Also wondering if I should be worried about long-term psychological damage from this experience.
atomic May 15, 2025, 2:07 a.m.
the fact that theyre specifically targeting kids during school hours with push notifications should be illegal. My daughter was getting "special offer" alerts during math class trying to get her to spend lunch money