An 8 year old spent £8500 on the Apple app store(Guardian)

[Eyerollexpert]

In the Guardian on a problem page.
An 8 year old girl has her own iPhone and Apple ID and over 90 days spent £8500 . The parents didn't realise their HSBC debit card was linked to her iPhone. She was not aware she was spending real money.
Long story short parents were eventually refunded.
I canndecide which part of this is the most ridiculous an I year old having an iPhone or having £8500 in a current account that you don't need to check the balance for 90 days???
I live in a different world I think.

I think we all agree that 8 year olds don’t need phones, and certainly not ones with an open link to a payment method. But as it was linked to a debit card on, presumably, an active account it’s easy to see how it might happen over a 3 month period.

If, like many people, their account sweeps the balance before payday to a linked savings account then it’s easy enough to see how, during a busy period, you might take a cursory glance at the current account balance, go ‘yes, that’s looks about right’ and think no more of it. A few months later when you have a bit more time, you check the balance on the linked account and think ‘mmm, the balance should be higher than that’ and only then dig a bit deeper. If you’re cash rich time poor, reconciling a bank account is not always a high priority if it looks about right. But the consequences of that can be as has been highlighted…they were lucky to get it back I think!

Years ago my 13 year old cousin used his dad’s work phone to call chat lines in secret and ran up a bill for thousands of quid. They were absolutely fuming.

My 9yo has an old iPhone without a sim to play games on etc, it didn’t cost anything as it was an old one. I don’t really understand how this happened, as my dc are not allowed to install apps or make in app purchases without parental consent/me putting in password? Unless the parents set up the account as an adult one, with its own payment method (which seems to be inviting this to happen!). I assume that my payment cards set up on Apple Pay don’t appear on family devices (probably should check that!) but my dc would definitely know that it’s a real payment if they tried to shop online!

same, no one can make a payment on my phone without my fingerprint.

also don't understand why people with kids don't just use gift cards to buy stuff on their phones, tablets etc - i'd never connect a working "unlimited" payment method

If I understood it correctly, they only had two transactions refunded (of quite small amounts), hence them complaining/writing to the newspaper.

They had it all refunded by Apple because the child was under 13. They provided screenshot apparently of Youtubers highlighting the child as a big spender, £300 in one day. They clearly set up the card on their child's Apple ID or she wouldn't have been able to use it. It was her own Apple ID not her parents.

ETA originally it was two £60 transactions refunded.