Context · Games
Most games your kid plays are free to install and make their money afterwards, using currencies and timers designed so a child never quite works out what anything costs in dollars.
The middle currency is the whole trick
Games rarely price things in dollars. They sell Robux or V-Bucks or gems first, then price items in those, and the bundles never divide evenly into what your kid wants, so there is always a little left over and always a reason to buy one more pack. That gap is deliberate and it is where the extra spending happens.
Why the timer matters more than the price
Items appear in the game store for a day or a weekend and then go, which turns a decision into a deadline. Your kid is not being greedy when they ask urgently, they are responding exactly as the store screen was built to make them respond, and knowing that makes the conversation less of a fight.
Where the accidental spending comes from
Nearly every large surprise bill traces back to a saved card with no password prompt on the console or phone. Requiring a password for every purchase, on the device rather than in the game, removes almost all of it in about two minutes.