13 WTHR IndianapolisConnected Kids: Paying to play

It seems there is an app for everything, but not for everyone. If your little one loves to play on your smart phone or tablet, he or she may be racking up charges you may not know about.

At only two years old, Jamie Buchanan is a whiz at technology. His mom, Jessica, said, "When I first got my smart phone, he could pick it up faster than I did."
    
His pint-sized fingers easily find the app he's searching for, switching quickly from games to music.
    
Jessica credits the apps for helping Jamie learn. "With the smart phone you can download apps that teach letters, colors, shapes. He knows all that."
    
But he's still too young to understand that sometimes you have to pay to play.
    
Jessica found out the hard way when Jamie downloaded 30 songs from MP3 Tunes at a cost of $50. 
     
It may be a bigger problem than most parents think.
    
An app developer for AppDar based in Indianapolis, SJ Singh insists "accidental" purchases by younger users are common and he believes it's no accident at all.
    
"They're making games directed toward kids," Singh said. "Kids are going to use it. Kids are going to buy it. The whole system is how companies make money." 

How much money depends on the app. Many apps cost only a dollar or less.  But even at those prices, costs add up. 

Also, just because the app says "free" doesn't mean more costs won't accrue once they are downloaded, because they could have "in-app" purchases.
    
Kids click on the app not knowing they're being charged - something they may not be able to read in the fine print.
    
Which is why Singh advises that "it's about monitoring kids."    
    
Jessica was able to get the charges removed from her son's purchase by contacting the carrier. She's pretty vigilant about keeping tabs on her son's technology time, because even though he has a knack, what Jamie lacks is the understanding that even on the virtual highway, he needs a parent to hold his hand.