Overview
- Consumer advice published Monday reflects the Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg view that parents generally do not have to pay for in‑app purchases their children made without permission.
- German law makes under‑7s contractually incapable and 7‑to‑17‑year‑olds only partially competent, with the 'pocket money' rule allowing a purchase only if the child paid from money given for that purpose.
- App makers and stores often carry the financial risk for unapproved purchases, especially where offers are aimed at minors, so developers can be asked to refund charges.
- Parents should enable parental controls and check stored payment methods now, use Apple Screen Time or Family Sharing purchase requests and Google Play authentication or Family Link, and report unauthorized charges promptly to preserve refund rights.
- Practical recovery steps include filing refund requests via reportaproblem.apple.com for Apple and reporting non‑authorized Google Play purchases within 120 days, because letting charges stand can forfeit later claims.