How to Stop Your Kids From Spending Money on Your Phone by Accident

Children and in-app purchases are one of the most reliable sources of unexpected financial disaster for parents. The mechanics are designed to be easy — a tap or two from a game to a purchase screen — and children don’t intuitively understand that clicking “GET” means real money is being charged to a real account. Stories of children spending hundreds or thousands on game currencies are not rare.

Fortunately, preventing this is straightforward and takes about five minutes.

On iPhone: Require Face ID or Passcode for Purchases

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases.

Set “In-app Purchases” to “Don’t Allow.” This completely prevents all in-app purchases regardless of who’s using the phone.

If you want to allow some purchases but require authentication: Settings > [Your Name] > Media & Purchases > Always Require (for Touch ID or Face ID). With this setting, every purchase — app downloads, in-app purchases — requires your biometric before it goes through. A child pressing “purchase” will be prompted for your face or fingerprint rather than proceeding automatically.

On iPhone: Ask to Buy for Family

If you have Family Sharing set up with your child having their own Apple ID (for their device), enable “Ask to Buy” in the Family Sharing settings. Any purchase they attempt sends you a notification for approval. You approve or decline from your own phone.

This is the cleanest solution for children using their own devices, but also works as an additional protection layer.

On Android: Require Authentication for Purchases

Open Google Play > tap your profile picture > Settings > Authentication > Require authentication for purchases > “For all purchases through Google Play on this device.”

This requires your Google account password (or biometric if you’ve enabled biometric unlock for Play) for every purchase. A child who doesn’t know your password cannot complete a purchase.

For children using your Google account on a family device, consider creating a separate restricted profile or using Family Link to create their own controlled account.

Setting Spending Limits

Google Play and Apple App Store both allow parental spending controls through their family account features. These set maximum spending amounts per month, preventing large unexpected charges even if a purchase somehow gets through.

In Google Play Family: there’s no direct spending cap per family member, but you control purchases through the require-authentication setting above.

In Apple Family: purchases by children with “Ask to Buy” enabled require your explicit approval, which is effectively a spending cap of zero without your involvement.

Checking for Existing Unexpected Charges

If you’re implementing these controls after discovering unexpected charges, check your payment history: App Store (account > Purchase History) and Google Play (account > Order History). For charges in the last 90 days, both platforms have a refund request process for accidental in-app purchases by children — success varies but is worth attempting, especially for large amounts.

Explaining to Children Why the Controls Exist

Technical controls are more effective when combined with explanation. Children who understand that game currency is real money, that “free” games make money from in-app purchases, and that purchases have to be approved by a parent are less likely to attempt circumventing the controls.

The conversation: “Things you buy in games cost real money from our bank account — the same money that pays for food and school trips. Before I can buy anything in a game for you, I need to know about it and decide if it’s worth the real money it costs.”

This builds financial awareness that serves them beyond protecting your phone.

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