Letting your children play online could 証明する 高くつく／犠牲の大きい

By This Is Money
Updated: 11:19 BST, 25 October 2010

?

Parents are 存在 警告するd of the dangers of inadvertently setting up continuous 支払い（額） 施設s for their children online.

Many internet 場所／位置s, 含むing amazon and itunes, take your credit or debit card 詳細（に述べる）s and 蓄える／店 them to make 未来 購入（する）ing simpler.

This should not be a problem if the 場所／位置 is 安全な・保証する, you have your own password and you know that you are 現実に buying something.

But some parents have fallen foul of internet games where players 購入（する） imaginary 反対するs using real money.

The games ― 利用できる on social 網状組織ing 場所／位置s such as Facebook and Myspace ― are 証明するing popular の中で children.

The danger for parents is that they only have to enter their credit or debit card 詳細（に述べる）s once to get 接近 to the game.

Children can then go on a spending spree buying さまざまな 事実上の characters and pets for their games.

Emma Tidman, pictured above, was left with a £666 法案 when her eight-year-old Lola played an internet game called YoVille. This imaginary world 許すs people to 会合，会う friends and decorate homes.

Mrs Tidman used her debit card to 支払う／賃金 £5 for items for Emma's online persona, known as an avatar. But, without realising it, when she made this 支払い（額） she was 蓄える／店ing her 詳細（に述べる）s with Facebook, on its Facebook Credits system. This 許すd Lola to continue to buy 事実上の items without realising that every time she did so it cost her mother real money.

When Mrs Tidman's bank 声明 arrived she 設立する she had been 攻撃する，衝突する with £500 in game 料金s, 含むing £310 in one day. By the time she had cancelled the order, another £166 had been taken.

And at the age of eight, Lola failed to understand the 関わりあい／含蓄s of buying credits from Facebook, which she then 変えるd to YoCash to use on the YoVille 場所／位置.

It costs £36.80 to buy 300 YoCash credits or £7.36 to buy 5,000 YoCoins. A pumpkin 衣装 for the avatar to wear would cost 3,000 YoCoins. Items Lola bought 含む a 事実上の trailer home, a Jacuzzi, a dog and 着せる／賦与するs for her avatar.

In a 警告 to other parents, Mrs Tidman, a 42-year-old waitress from Dartford, Kent, says: 'This £666 could have been used for a holiday. I am not computer literate and my daughter 手配中の，お尋ね者 to be on Facebook as her friends are on it.

'We 始める，決める it up in the summer so that she could speak to her cousins. She asked for £5 to download something for a game.'

A Facebook 広報担当者 said: 'We 調査／捜査するd the 事柄 and learned the account in question 侵害する／違反するs our 条件 of use. We've therefore 問題／発行するd a refund and 削除するd the account. We 認める that Facebook and parents have a 株d 責任／義務 in such 事柄s. For us, nothing is more important than 申し込む／申し出ing people a 安全な, 安全な・保証する experience on Facebook.'

Other game 場所／位置s that 許す 購入（する）s 含む FarmVille and FishVille, both from Zynga, the same American company that is behind YoVille. The 最小限 age for Facebook is supposed to be 13.

Yet 人物／姿／数字s 解放（する）d by communications regulator Ofcom show that one in four children 老年の between eight and 12 years old are members of Facebook, Bebo or Myspace social 網状組織ing 場所／位置s.

Lucinda Fell, director of 政策 and communications at Childnet International, says: 'Social 網状組織ing 場所／位置s are very popular with children and young people, but it is important to remember that the 最小限 age for many of these services is 13.'

Facebook's 広報担当者 said: 'We have systems in place at the point of signup to 妨げる people who identify themselves as under the age of 13 from creating accounts.

'We also know there is no straightforward way to get proof of age across the web.' since 存在 接触するd by Money Mail, Zynga, which runs YoVille, and Facebook have refunded Mrs Tidman her money.

Find out how to keep yourself 安全な online at www.thisismoney.co.uk/online.

HOW TO AVOID INTER NET RIP-OFFS

? NEVER let children use your card.

? MAKE sure you know 正確に／まさに what you are buying on their に代わって.

? CHECK you are only 調印 up for a 選び出す／独身 支払い（額） and not giving 当局 for 未来 支払い（額）s.

? DO not 許す the website to 蓄える／店 your card 詳細（に述べる）s.

? FAMILIARISE yourself with the websites your children use.

? MAKE sure the website is 安全な. Its web 演説（する）／住所 should say 'https' and have a padlock symbol.

? DON'T let your children 嘘（をつく） about their age to 伸び（る） 接近.

? IF CASH is taken out of your account or if there is unauthorised usage of your credit card by a website, 接触する your bank すぐに. Get the card stopped and the 論争d 量 frozen so it doesn't attract 利益／興味. You should be liable only for the first £50 of usage.