The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is cautioning parents against granting their children unrestricted access to smartphones and tablets, following a surge in complaints over unauthorized charges for online games.
In fiscal 2022 that ended in March 2023, the center fielded 4,024 inquiries concerning online game microtransactions made by students of elementary, junior high and high schools without the knowledge of their parents. Of these, elementary students accounted for 49.4% of the inquiries, junior high students for 37.6%, and high school students for 13.0%.
The financial ramifications of these microtransactions were significant, with amounts ranging from ¥100,000 ($660) to ¥500,000 incurred in 49.7% of the cases, ¥500,000 to ¥1 million in 14.1%, and exceeding ¥1 million in 6.5% of instances. The average amount spent was ¥330,000, the center said in a report released in March.