Nintendo has published different guides aimed at parents who want to avoid consumption through a Nintendo Switch or the Nintendo store website. According to their data, it is during the summer when most parents report accidental expenses.
Apparently it’s all down to the kids who get more time to play on these dates and end up using their parents’ credit card information. Nintendo mentions that the most recurrent age of these children is between 8 and 12 years old, and the games they spend the most on are free-to-play.
Parental guide
Unbelievably, one of the top recommendations is to remove credit card information from the Nintendo s tore and website. Leaving automatic payments means that many kids simply follow the payment steps since they only have to memorize the security code.
The big N recommends using a prepaid card and activating parental control to prevent the child from seeing content not intended for minors and that they cannot buy without a special password.
Finally, Nintendo mentions that the most recurrent case is that of a child stealing the physical credit card to buy something and return it to their site shortly after. In this section, they directly advise you to be aware of this possibility and keep the card out of the reach of minors.
Shopping by minors has become a problem in many homes since the advent of digital stores. The loot boxes only made the situation worse, so Nintendo’s recommendations may seem obvious, but the truth is that no one takes action until the boy or girl has hundreds of dollars in game skins.
