So Your Kid Spent $200 in a Game? Here’s How to Set Up Parental Controls

A summer morning about 8:30 a.m., I had wrapped up my usual routine and was getting ready to start the workday.

Then a text from my spouse popped up: “$200? On a video game? Do you know what this is?”

She was looking at our bank balance online. Two charges — $150 and $50 — had just shown up for “extras” on a PlayStation baseball title our boys had recently gotten.

My 11-year-old was still in bed. The 8-year-old was stationed in the bonus room … playing that baseball game.

“Did you buy anything in that game this morning?” I asked him.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really sure?”

“I think so.”

“Well, we need to be certain because if it wasn’t you, someone might have gained access to the PlayStation account.”

After a bit of investigating, we discovered he’d acquired extra “swag” for his ballplayer — necklaces, fancy batting gloves, new bats and similar items.

The final conclusion was that he had “accidentally” spent $200 on cosmetic items — an eye-popping sum for pretend jewelry on a virtual baseball player.

In his defense, the game makes it remarkably simple to press a button and spend a lot of money. Sometimes it isn’t obvious you’re even using real money — especially to an 8-year-old.

Beyond that, the whole episode was a parenting oversight on my part. I knew the PlayStation offered parental control tools that would prevent exactly this sort of mistake. I simply hadn’t taken the time to enable those safeguards.

Luckily, the PlayStation support agent refunded the $200 with the understanding that if it happened again, I’d be out $200 of virtual baseball accessories.

That afternoon, I made a point of configuring the PlayStation’s parental controls so it wouldn’t recur.

But what about all the other gadgets tied to online accounts around our home?

How to Configure Parental Controls on Popular Services

I’m sure I’m not the only parent who’s experienced this.

Purchases in mobile games on an iPhone are just as easy to make as they are on a PlayStation. One quick tap and — presto! — you’ve got $100 gone on new roller coasters and Ferris wheels in your amusement park simulator app!

Parental controls once simply meant limiting the content kids could see. Now, neglecting to set parental controls can also hit your bank account.

If you don’t block or limit purchases, you, too, could temporarily become the embarrassed owner of fake bling. You might get lucky — as I did — the first time, but repeated in-app buys can cost you hundreds of dollars.

So what exactly should you know about the various parental control options that prevent a child from spending money without permission?

Remember, parents can still use parental controls to limit inappropriate content and set time caps. In this piece, though, we’re focusing on spending limits.

Here’s a breakdown of how to enable parental controls on:

• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One
• iPhone
• iPad
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu
• DirecTV
• Comcast Xfinity

How to Set PlayStation 5 Parental Controls

1. From the console’s home screen, open “Settings.”
2. Choose “Family and Parental Controls.”
3. Pick “Family Management.”
4. Select the user you want to limit spending for.
5. Tap “Parental Controls.”
6. Scroll to “Monthly Spending Limits.”
7. Pick a monthly dollar cap. Options run from 0 up to unlimited.
8. Select “Confirm” to save your selection.

Your account’s “wallet” is linked to your payment method, so applying these limits is essential if a child uses your account to play. The primary account holder will also get an email each time there’s a PlayStation Store purchase.

How to Set Xbox One Parental Controls

1. Open the guide by pressing the Xbox button.
2. Navigate to System > Settings > Account > Family settings > Manage family members.
3. Pick your child’s profile.
4. Select Privacy & online safety > Xbox Live privacy > View details & customize > Buy & download.
5. Check the “Ask a Parent” option.

You can also manage these settings via a browser by signing in to your Microsoft account, choosing your child’s account, then “Content Restrictions,” and enabling “Needs Adult Approval to Buy Things.”

How to Set iPhone and iPad Parental Controls

Apple’s iOS has several ways to customize parental controls. When it comes to blocking in-app purchases, the steps are straightforward.

1. Open Settings > Screen Time.
2. Tap “Content and Privacy Restrictions.”
3. Enter your passcode if prompted.
4. Tap iTunes and App Store Purchases.
5. Select “Don’t Allow.”

On that same screen you can also stop your child from installing or removing apps without permission.

How to Set Google Play Parental Controls

Android setups vary, but you can enable parental controls in the Google Play Store to block content and purchases for apps, games, movies, TV, music and books.

1. On your Android device, open the Google Play app.
2. Tap the profile icon at the top right > Settings > Family.
3. Turn on parental controls.
4. Set a PIN to secure the controls and manage your child’s access.
5. Apply a content filter that fits your family’s preferences.

How to Set Netflix Parental Controls

It’s not only games and in-app buys you’ll want to guard against. Don’t forget movies and TV shows.

Luckily, Netflix makes it simple to keep children from reaching content above their maturity level — or changing your billing and account settings.

You can create a separate kid profile that blocks access to account settings and age-inappropriate content. Here’s how:

1. Go to “Manage Profiles.”
2. Choose Add Profile.
3. Name the profile and select “Kids.”
4. Click Continue.

The kids profile will display an obvious “kids” icon so it’s distinct from other profiles.

If you want to block access to your account entirely, you can add a PIN lock.

1. Open “Manage Profiles.”
2. Choose “Edit Profile” for the profile to lock.
3. Select “Profile and Parental Controls.”
4. Check “Require a PIN to access the selected profile.”
5. Enter your password, choose a PIN and save.

How to Set Amazon Prime Parental Controls

With parental controls on Amazon Prime, you can manage what your child can purchase and how much they can watch Prime Video content.

To establish spending restrictions, sign into your Amazon Prime account.

1. Click “Your Account.”
2. Select “Parental Controls” from the menu.
3. Click “Enable Buying Restrictions.”
4. From there, choose which types of content, if any, your child can buy.
5. To set explicit spending caps, click “Purchase Limit,” then set a daily, weekly or monthly allowance.

How to Set Hulu Parental Controls

Similar to Netflix, Hulu offers kid-friendly profiles that restrict account settings and surface only age-appropriate content. To create one:

1. Open the Hulu app and access your account.
2. Select your profile name, then choose “New Profile.”
3. Enter a profile name.
4. Toggle the “Kids” option to On.
5. Choose “Create Profile.”

If you’d prefer to block kids from getting into your profile:

1. Open your account page.
2. Choose “Manage Profiles.”
3. Scroll to Parental Controls and choose “PIN Protection.”
4. Enter a four-digit code and select “Create PIN.”

How to Set DirecTV Parental Controls

If you subscribe to DirecTV, you can apply parental controls via the remote.

1. Press MENU on your remote.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Select Parental Controls.
4. Review and adjust settings — including options for spending limits.
5. Select LOCK NOW and enter your PIN.

How to Set Comcast Xfinity Parental Controls

As a major U.S. cable provider, Comcast Xfinity provides various parental control features. To stop purchases through Xfinity:

1. Press the Xfinity button on your X1 remote.
2. Navigate to Settings and press OK.
3. Find Purchase Pin and press OK.
4. Switch Purchase Pin to ON.
5. Create a new PIN.
6. Verify by re-entering your PIN.

After that, your child cannot make purchases via Xfinity without the PIN. Xfinity’s parental controls also let you limit viewing choices, screen time and online access through the Xfinity internet service.

The One-Stop Parental Control Option

Rather than configuring each device separately, some third-party services let parents supervise and control a child’s online behavior from one dashboard.

Costing anywhere from free to around $60 per year, tools such as Bark, Net Nanny, Qustodio and FamilyTime are built to help you limit screen time, monitor messages and conversations, track app activity, set content filters, block particular sites and spending, monitor location and more.

Michael Hayes is a senior writer for Savinly.