A mother's anguish over her child's $800+ Roblox spending is captured in a video that has gone viral on TikTok. The question is, how can parents prevent this from occurring?
Distress of a Mom
In Roblox, the in-game money is known as Robux and is widely used. This game is aimed at young people who are prepared to spend real money on cosmetics, and as such, it is both alluring and addictive.
AppleInsider featured a TikTok-gone-viral video posted on Thursday, Mar. 23, by Linzy Taylor. She explained how her son, 10, had spent over $800 on 11 items in Roblox. As of Friday, Mar. 24, over 6.1 million people have seen the post.
In most cases, the youngster in question is able to get beyond the child lock or parental monitoring by utilizing trickery. This time, though, the youngster just required the password to unlock their iPhone.
The only security measures in place were reportedly the passcode on the iPhone and the Apple ID password since Screen Time was off for the account. The youngster had access to the passcode but not the Apple ID password.
Taylor's kid was able to find Roblox and make a purchase from inside the app. Biometrics like Touch ID would not operate since the device was set up to ask for a password whenever a transaction was begun.
The toddler only had to tap "Forgot my password" and input his own personal passcode for his iPhone. After resetting the password to one of his choosing, he was able to make transactions once again.
When Taylor finally saw the pileup of transactions, it was already too late. To the tune of $800, her kid had shopped with her connected PayPal account.
It is unclear where he picked up this skill, but it is the same one thieves use to bypass Apple ID protection when they steal an iPhone.
@thelinzytaylor @apple @roblox #apple #roblox #familysharing #thisisnotokay #asd #autismacceptance #thelinzytaylor ♬ original sound - Linzy Taylor
How Could This Happen?
Sadly, the Screen Time passcode on Taylor's device was not activated. Taylor naively thought her Apple ID password was enough to keep unwanted eyes out. Taylor said she was unfamiliar with the function but is happy to allow it now that she knows she will have more oversight over her child's electronic gadgets.
Given that Apple does not promote the function, this is a typical occurrence. Furthermore, she had good reason to think a password would suffice.
Located in the Settings menu, Screen Time is a feature that every parent should use. In this situation, the Apple ID password is secured behind the Screen Time passcode, which also allows app time limitations and concealed payments.
The Apple ID password cannot be changed using the device passcode alone if Screen Time has been activated.
While resourceful youngsters have discovered methods to bypass passwords, so Screen Time does provide an additional degree of security.
According to AppleInsider, Taylor has requested a refund from Apple, which is still in the processing stage.
