An Ontario family is speaking out after their 11-year-old child spent $2,000 on Roblox game gift cards at Walmart.
Hong Jin and Jason Kim told CTV News their 11-year-old son recently went to his grandmother’s house, and before leaving, he took an envelope full of cash the family had saved for emergencies.
“Before he went to his grandma’s place, he took the whole envelope, which has $2,000 to $3,000 in cash,” Jin said.
His grandmother took the boy to Walmart to look at toys. The couple said their son then slipped away briefly, went to a cashier and made two $1,000 purchases of Roblox gaming cards.
Roblox is an online platform where users play games, hang out with friends, and build their own virtual worlds. The game is free to play, but users can buy premium avatar items, tools, and clothing within the gaming universe.
The family told CTV News they only found out when they noticed the cash was missing.
“I was shocked. I’m still shocked. I can’t believe a small kid could spend $2,000 at Walmart,” Kim said.
The family returned to Walmart with the cards and receipts but they were told it was a final sale and there were no refunds.
“How can a little kid purchase $2,000 in cash and no one is suspicious about it?” Jin said.
Walmart responds
When CTV News reached out to Walmart regarding the situation, a spokesperson said that it appreciates that it has been a “difficult experience for the family” and has been “in direct contact with them to discuss the circumstances surrounding the purchase.”
“We take concerns of this nature seriously. We reviewed this transaction and determined our associates appropriately applied our $1,000 transaction limit for gift cards,” the statement notes.
“There are no age restrictions for purchasing gift cards at Walmart Canada, although individual gift card issuers may establish requirements, including age-related requirements, for redeeming their cards.”
CTV News previously reported on a similar story about a grandmother who said her eight-year-old grandson took her credit card and racked up $2,000 in charges playing the game.
Consumer Reports recommends implementing parental controls to help limit how much children spend online.
“Games like Roblox do offer parental controls that can limit how much children can spend in a game. But generally speaking, parents do have to set those up on their own. And because purchases can happen through the game, the app store, a phone, a tablet, there can be more than one layer of protection that parents need to enable,” said Nicholas de Leon with Consumer Reports.
As for Jin, she feels an 11-year-old should not be allowed to make such a large purchase on their own.
