Xbox has added new features to its Family Settings app to help parents better monitor and manage their children’s game spending.
Responding to feedback from parents concerned about their children’s in-game purchases, Microsoft has added several options including the ability for parents to set spending limits on their children’s accounts and bar any surprise spending; an “ask to buy” option which sends purchase requests to be cleared by a parent; and the capacity for parents to monitor a child’s account balance and purchase history.
According to Kim Kunes, GM for Xbox Family, Trust, and Safety, Xbox is listening to parents and adding features to support child safety.
“We know it’s important to parents to track and manage their children’s spending when they game to avoid any unexpected surprises or bills.
“With these new features, parents are empowered to customize their family’s access to spending money in games or in the Microsoft Store to fit what’s right for them,” she said.
Parents have been sounding the alarm over stories of children spending thousands of dollars on in-app purchases such as microtransactions and loot boxes in games such as FIFA, racking up often monumental credit card debts and leaving their guardians to foot the bill.
The Xbox Family Settings app was launched last year as a free download for iOS and Android.
