Kanye West Rants About Apps That Let Kids Shop Without Parental Consent

Children playing games on digital devices have racked up big bills.

ByABC News
October 12, 2015, 11:45 AM

— -- Children playing games on digital devices have been known to rack up big bills without their parents’ consent and it drives many parents nuts, including musician Kanye West.

West, who is dad to 2-year-old daughter, North, with wife Kim Kardashian West, took to Twitter on Friday to rant about companies that put in-app purchases on children's games.

“That makes no sense!!! We give the iPad to our child and every 5 minutes there's a new purchase!!!” he wrote.

He added: “If a game is made for a 2 year old, just allow them to have fun and give the parents a break for Christ sake.”

A 2012 survey by the Federal Trade Commission reviewed more than 400 children’s apps in the Google Play and Apple app stores. According to the survey, 17 percent of the apps that were reviewed allowed for the purchase of virtual goods from within the app, ranging in price from $.99 to $29.99.

The issue doesn't just cost parents. Apple and Google have both been forced to issue millions of dollars in refunds to consumers for in-app purchases made by children without parental consent. Apple has returned $32.5 million while Google has paid out $19 million.

Parents are advised to vet apps before they buy them and to turn off the in-app purchasing function.

"Don't give any child your password and that's the big one," parenting expert Ericka Souter said today on "Good Morning America." "You also want to make sure that every time there is a purchase that needs to be made, you have to put in that password so that you are in control."

"Parents should also pay attention to the type of games their kids are playing," Souter said. "There are some games that yes, they say that they are free, but the FCC noted that ...most of them require you to make in-app purchases to make the game progress, to get to the next level."