Gifts in the digital age

The days of opening dollhouses and action figures from under the tree are long gone. Today, children and youth are receiving more and more toys that connect digitally to a phone or laptop. Gifts of online subscriptions are on the rise and tablets themselves have become popular presents. In today’s digital age, it’s becoming ever-important to ensure your child’s access to electronics and digital presence is safe and healthy.

If your child has received a gift you don’t know a lot about, take the time to research it through verified sources. It’s imperative to understand how that digital gift or a toy’s connected app may be using or storing their information. Review the company’s privacy policy and ensure it includes clear guidelines on who is collecting the data, how it is stored and used and what the parental rights are for removing that information.

Some toys require parental consent for children to use them. If this is the case, be sure to read the policy carefully rather than quickly clicking through. The app itself can ask your child for personal information that it may not securely store, or worse, actually sell to fraudsters and criminals.

Other apps appear safe and are quite well-known. But even they can cause headaches and unwanted surprises. Many parents have found themselves in deep water after not realizing the extent of in-app advertising or in-game purchases. One mother reported a $16,000 bill from her son playing a game on his iPad and, unbeknownst to her, agreeing to in-game offers.