DD12 wants to spend £92 on Robux

[IndieTara]

She had £220 of Christmas money ( mostly from her dad who claimed not to know what to buy her )
A few days ago she gave me £80 cash and asked me to transfer the equivalent into her bank account as she wanted to shop on Amazon.
So I did.
She bought a hat and spent £50 on a Robux e gift card and had some change.
20 mins later she went Into her bedroom And I realised I could here something. Turns out she'd been scammed of the Robux on Adopt Me and was crying her heart out. This is not the first time she's been scammed on there and we have had many conversations on the subject.

Tonight she has asked me to transfer money into her Go Henry account again. When I asked why she told me she wants to spend £92 on Robux.

Now obviously it is her money but I can't help thinking that it's a complete waste of money too. I really want to say no but also know that she should be allowed to spend her own money on whatever she wants. We both also know that if she asked her dad to do the same he would flat out refuse.
What should I do?

In-game purchases are like spending real money to get out of monopoly jail. And the games are set up in such a way that people do pay, because they want to keep playing.

This makes no sense. My daughter buys things in games that she keeps in the game. They are still there a year later. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@BadTattoosAndSmellLikeBooze

In-game purchases are like spending real money to get out of monopoly jail. And the games are set up in such a way that people do pay, because they want to keep playing.

This makes no sense. My daughter buys things in games that she keeps in the game. They are still there a year later. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ll sell you some Monopoly money and let you keep that as long as you like, too. For another £20 I’ll give you an extra turn in the next three games

Seriously, I have no judgement on what anyone chooses to spend on, especially if it harms no one and gives them pleasure. I do think some games are set up to be addictive and it’s important to learn to recognise when you’re being played - the game won’t give you that one last collectible but oh look there’s an option to pay for it. Or you fail a level 5 times and are encouraged to purchase a bonus to “help” you. Children especially might need guidance around this. If the player is aware of it though and is making a choice to buy anyway because it’s worth it to them, and they can afford it, fair enough.

I don’t do in-game purchases (very occasionally I will buy dlc that offers extra content, but I don’t buy cosmetic stuff or extras) because it doesn’t seem worthwhile to me. But I’m sure I buy things that others think aren’t worthwhile looks wryly at collection of horse blankets

I feel sorry for the kid who was scammed, and hope she learns not to trust everyone she comes into contact with - especially online. And that anything she buys in-game brings her joy, rather than being something she is manipulated into purchasing.

I’ll sell you some Monopoly money and let you keep that as long as you like, too. For another £20 I’ll give you an extra turn in the next three games

The child chooses something they like. They pay the money. They get the thing they want. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@BadTattoosAndSmellLikeBooze

I’ll sell you some Monopoly money and let you keep that as long as you like, too. For another £20 I’ll give you an extra turn in the next three games

The child chooses something they like. They pay the money. They get the thing they want. 🤷🏻‍♀️

As I said, no judgement from me about someone buying something they want, not that any 12 year olds would care what I thought I am sure. There is a manipulative aspect to some games that I personally don’t like, and I think it’s a good idea for parents understand this and explain to children that they are being targeted by strategies that will try to hook them in to making payments. That’s true of anything marketed at children really, but games can be particularly compelling. But if the player knows this and is getting value in enjoyment from their purchase (and they’re spending money they can afford) then it’s worth it to them, I appreciate.

[quote IndieTara]@sararh I think that is the most reasoned, intelligent post I have read on this thread and I'm a very middle aged mum!
FYI if DD said she wanted to spend £92 on Lego I'd be horrified as I know she'd never play with it.[/quote]
Wait until she finds out that she you can buy legendary pets on ebay!!

All joking aside.

1. It's a bit amount to spend in one go. I'd agree to it but smaller amounts here and there. £92 is 10,000 robux. That is a lot.

2.The scamming is an issue that would bother me a lot more.Do you know the exact circumstances in which it happened? Was it a friend? Was it a stranger? Why and how did she fall for it?
Having that much robux or interesting items will make her even more likely to be targeted by scammers. This is really what you need to keep an eye for,get a straight account of what happened,read her chats etc.

@Longdistance

It’s be a no. She needs a reality check about the value of money. That £92 could feed a family for two weeks.

Really.... I dread to think what you do with your children’s money 🤦🏼‍♀️

My son 13 spends his money on roblox, he has a limit, I wouldn’t let him spend £92 in one sitting. Kids get money to spend it on what they want, it’s not different to people buying lottery or scratch cards. Yes they don’t win but they are getting enjoyment out of it. You’ve got to let them make thier own mistakes with money for them to appreciate the value. We are all guilty of spending money on shit when we were younger. My son has £180 cash from bday and Christmas and he will probably still have that in 4 months. (Minus the £50 for the switch game he’s pre ordered)

@IndieTara also check how exactly she lost her Robux as you can't actually transfer that in game. You can only buy things that don't exist or are falsely advertised, thus spending your robux ,but you can't physically transfer robux from player to player so I'd check what exactly happened and what is going on.

Having an account yourself is not enough. You need access to hers,her transaction history,messages,see how many robux she has,her friends list etc.

I’d say no because she’s already spent some on the game and the rest it’s to be spent on other thngs

@AccidentallyOnPurpose you can actually now trade Robux for pets on Adopt Me

@heLacksnotluster the 'other peoples hard earned money ' now belongs to DD, it was gifted to her. And re the large sum of £50 she used, the person who gifted it to her was completely aware she would be spending it that night.

And @heLacksnotluster what if the money gifted to DD was part of a windfall the giver had unexpectedly received, or winnings from betting on a horse, or if the giver has stacks and stacks of money anyway. Would it then be ok to fritter away because it wasn't 'hard earned '.

[quote IndieTara]@AccidentallyOnPurpose you can actually now trade Robux for pets on Adopt Me[/quote]
No you can't. Just checked on DD's account, even though I was sure that wasn't the case because none of the youtubers/gamers ,fan sites or even the Roblox site/community say anything.

In fact there is still a massive warning AGAINST trading for bucks/robux.

@Ltdannygreen I haven't let DD spend £92 on Robux either

@AccidentallyOnPurpose yes you can on Adopt Me It's a fairly new thing.

[quote IndieTara]@Ltdannygreen I haven't let DD spend £92 on Robux either [/quote]
No of course not, that was more of a dig at those drips that were saying it’s a waste of money.

[quote IndieTara]@AccidentallyOnPurpose yes you can on Adopt Me It's a fairly new thing. [/quote]
I'm on the actual game and tried to trade ! And follow them on Twitter, where there is no mention of such update and warnings that is against the rules and you can get banned for it.

So either your daughter is lying or she's confused or you are.

Don’t think anyone has mentioned this, but it seems sad that her dad claimed not to know what she’d like as a gift and so gave her all cash. Older teens might love that but 12 is too young for that. If he had bothered to talk with her and you, @IndieTara, and make some effort to find out what she’d love to be given then she wouldn’t have ended up with what is a huge amount if cash for a 12-year-old.

A preteen shouldn’t be in a position where she can be scammed or groomed. Plastic tat might not have much value but at least it doesn’t expose them to risk in the same way. If she’s got SnapChat and TikTok accounts then she is exposed further.

Hi OP I can totally understand your predicament. On one hand is her money her choice to spend, while the other you knew deep down is not the right choice to spend the money on.

One thing I can suggest is to take your dd down to the supermarket and show her how many essential foods £92/£50? can get her, to set her thinking on whether spending the same amount of money for the games is the right choice.

Although thinking about that it was another mum who told me so maybe not

@IndieTara

Although thinking about that it was another mum who told me so maybe not

So you have no idea what your daughter did or how, and after being adamant you're claiming it was another mum? Not your daughter?

Mate, you have bigger problems here that how much your daughter spends on games.

I’m one of the drips that think it could be better spent/waste of money.

I still think it a bloody shame she was scammed though. £50 is a lot to lose/spend in one sitting.

@SheldonesqueIsUnwell

I’m one of the drips that think it could be better spent/waste of money.

I still think it a bloody shame she was scammed though. £50 is a lot to lose/spend in one sitting.

If she was even scammed. OP doesn't really seem to be aware of what's going on.

Or she's on a windup.

accidentally

I know nowt of this game or its intricacies so I shouldn’t be commenting probably! If it was a wind up I’d not have a clue.

I did look to see what the Robux were and there are lots of associated articles about people being scammed.

I just think it a shame that the in game purchases are made to be so appealing to young folks.