85% of parents have no objection on add-on purchases in video games, reveals new study

85% of parents whose children make in-game purchases have agreements with their children, a significant increase from last year (from 79% in 2018 to 85% in 2019), according to a new GameTrack survey published this week.

ISFE CEO Simon Little said: “We are delighted to see that parental involvement in children’s in-game spending is increasing and that there is good awareness of our PEGI age-ratings.”

“We are always looking for ways to do more for our players as an industry and have engaged in information campaigns across Europe to encourage parents to have a dialogue with their children about their online activity and, where appropriate, to use the parental controls to limit or block spending, to set game play time and to control online interaction and privacy settings.”

Three quarters of 6-15 year olds in Germany, Spain, Italy, UK and France are video game players, accounting for over 24 million across the five GameTrack European markets surveyed.

According to the GameTrack survey:

• Around a third of parents allow their children to spend money in-game.  At a European level this has decreased since last year (42% in 2018 down to 36 % in 2019).
• The vast majority (8 in 10) of parents whose children spend money in-game have an agreement of some kind with the child. This has seen an increase on last year (from 79% to 85%). Parents who are video game players themselves are more likely to have an agreement (85% vs 89%).
• Two-thirds of people have heard of PEGI at European level and this is relatively comparable to last year, with the age-rating symbols being the most well-known still.

Simon Little continued: “Video games deliver experiences that enrich the everyday cultural lives of more than half of all Europeans, set new standards in innovation, artistry, education and inspire new ways of understanding and interacting with the world around us. Encouraging responsible and balanced video game play is key to ensuring that our children enjoy all the benefits of this unique medium. Both industry and parents have an important part to play.”

GameTrack is conducted by Ipsos MORI and is commissioned by ISFE. The full survey can be accessed [here].