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US Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Targets the technology industry via a proposal to ban so-called "payment for win" and "booty box" applications, such as Candy Crush, intended A number of digital items can be expensive for parents and addiction and gambling, according to critics.
With the Law on Protection of Children from Abusive Gambling, Hawley is attacking the growing revenues of more than $ 50 billion intended for video game makers and app developers. Some of the apps are offered for free, but require users to pay for upgrades, bonuses and other rewards to gain an advantage over their competitors.
"When a game is designed for kids, game developers should not be allowed to monetize their addiction," Hawley said in a press release on Wednesday. "And when children play games designed for adults, they should be protected from compulsive microtransactions. Game developers who knowingly exploit children should face prosecution. "
"When a game is designed for kids, game developers should not be allowed to monetize their addiction."
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Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Seen Jan. 15 in Washington. (Associated Press)
The bill would instruct the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the proposed rules, the Kansas City Star reported.
Josh Golin, executive director of the Campaign for a Child Without Advertising, congratulated Hawley for introducing the bill.
"It's totally unfair for developers to manipulate their games for kids to buy themselves or harass their parents," Golin said in a statement. master new skills and compete ".
"It's not unfair for developers to adapt their games to manipulate children to shop for or harass their parents."
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Hawley cited the popular Candy Crush game, which allows players to purchase a "lavish package" of $ 149.99, which includes virtual currency and 24 hours of unlimited lives. Games purchases are criticized because children often use their parents' credit cards without their knowledge.
In recent years, parents have complained about being charged hundreds or thousands of dollars. In 2016, it was established that Amazon had unfairly billed parents for purchases made by their kids while they were using apps considered free, according to the Washington Post.
In his first few months in office, Hawley – a 39-year-old former attorney general who toppled incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill in last November's mid-term election – focused on technology sector. Last week, he criticized social media companies for taking advantage of the addiction of their users.
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"Social media and video games fall prey to user addiction, siphoning our children's attention from the real world and benefiting from the promotion of compulsive habits," Hawley's statement states. "Whatever the benefits of this business model for the technology industry, one thing is clear: there is no excuse for exploiting children through such practices."
Regulators in Belgium, Japan and China have severely cracked down on gaming transactions and loot chests, which offer gamblers rewards for spending money and are considered cash games. by some, reported the Post. Some video game makers have responded by removing their products from certain markets.
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A lobby group in the video game industry – the Entertainment Software Association – argued that countries such as Ireland and Germany had determined that surprise boxes were not games of chance.
"We are eager to share with the senator the tools and information already provided by the industry, which allow parents to keep control of spending in the game," said Stanley Pierre-Louis, acting president of the group, the post in a statement.
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