Parent blames Apple for 10-year-old’s $2,500 TikTok spending spree

A parent is complaining about Apple’s refusal to refund 23 successive payments to a TikTok creator made by his autistic 10-year-old daughter.
<img src=”https://macdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/210513_apple_logo.png” alt=”A parent is complaining about Apple’s refusal to refund 23 successive payments to a TikTok creator made by his autistic 10-year-old daughter.
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Malcolm Owen for AppleInsider:

In a letter to the U.K.’s Telegraph, a reader identified as “AH” says they had given their 10-year-old daughter with autism and “learning difficulties” an iPhone as a Christmas present. Four days later, the child then made a considerable number of in-app purchases, buying 2,012 pounds ($2,486) in coins for TikTok.
The parent discovered the purchases only after Apple sent invoices to their inbox. The parent then went through various processes to try and get refunds for the 23 purchases, but they were refused…
Initially, TikTok said it had investigated, and said no rules had been broken, but didn’t explain what the payment was for.
When pressed further to investigate, TikTok then discovered the user, “Ohidur247,” had breached guidelines relating to fraud and scams. They were taking payments in exchange for followers.
The report then contacted Apple, who agreed to refund the parent in full, as well as reminding them of the presence of parental controls.

MacDailyNews Take: Besides the TikTok scammer, the most blameworthy person in this case is the parent who handed their 10-year-old autistic child an iPhone with purchasing capabilities activated and without Ask to Buy enabled.
With Ask to Buy, when kids want to buy or download a new item, they send a request to the family organizer. The family organizer can use their own device to approve or decline the request. For example, if a child wants to buy an app, the family organizer can see the app and decide whether to allow it.
If the family organizer approves the request and completes the purchase, the item automatically downloads to the child’s device. If the family organizer declines the request, no purchase or download will take place.
More info here.
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