Survey: Nearly One-in-Three Children Make Unauthorized Online Purchases, Costing Families Hundreds
National survey finds average unapproved spend of $170, parental monitoring gaps and struggles teaching the value of digital money
Nearly one-in-three parents said they discovered their child had made an online purchase without permission, a nationally representative survey released this month found, with the most expensive unapproved shopping sprees averaging about $170 and some topping $300.
The online poll of 2,000 American parents with a child aged 18 or younger living at home was commissioned by digital personal finance company Achieve and administered by Talker Research between April 14 and April 23, 2025. Respondents reported unauthorized purchases ranging from in-game items, clothing and accessories to higher-priced electronics such as computers, smartphones, smart watches and cameras; a small number of parents even said their children bought stocks or cryptocurrency.
The survey found 31% of parents had discovered at least one digital purchase made by their child without prior approval. While the average cost of those unapproved purchases was about $170, 19% of parents said their child’s spending spree exceeded $300.
The results also pointed to gaps in parental oversight and financial instruction. Twenty-three percent of parents said they rarely or never check their children’s debit and credit card activity, and 11% said they rarely or never require permission before a child makes a digital purchase. A majority of parents, 72%, said they believe their child does not fully understand the value of a dollar, and 44% said it is harder to teach that value when money is digital rather than physical.
“Overspending online can be a slippery slope for anyone, but it’s especially true for kids in an era where nearly everything is just a click away,” Brad Stroh, co-founder and co-chief executive officer at Achieve, said in comments included with the survey release. “Parents are busier than ever and struggle to keep up with monitoring their kids’ purchases. However, it’s important that they have a game plan to teach their kids financial awareness so they understand the value of money early on.”
Allowance practices reported in the survey showed most parents try to provide a regular stipend but still face challenges managing spending. Fifty-seven percent of parents said they give a regular allowance; of those, 73% most frequently pay in cash. On average, children receive about $119 per month, though 14% of parents said their child receives more than $250 each month. Only 12% of parents reported that their children never go over their allowance.
When parents discover unauthorized spending, most said they address it through conversation: 56% reported talking with their child about the purchase. Other commonly reported responses included taking away a device, cited by 23% of parents, requiring the child to repay the money, cited by 20%, and freezing or restricting bank account access, cited by 11%.
Many parents expressed a desire for outside help in teaching money management: 61% said they wished a financial expert could teach their child healthy spending habits on their behalf, and 66% said they would be more relaxed about their children’s spending if the children demonstrated a clear understanding of the value of money.
The findings arrive amid a broader shift in how children encounter money. Digital payments, in-app purchases and one-click checkout can simplify transactions and blur the connection between selection and spending, while the rise of mobile banking and investment apps has made access to higher-value products easier for households that do not tightly control app permissions and account access.
The survey results underscore a mix of technological and educational issues: parents reported limited time and inconsistent monitoring, while many said they face difficulty teaching financial concepts in a digital environment. Achieve, which commissioned the study, provides digital personal finance tools; the company framed the results as an argument for earlier and more structured conversations about money between parents and children.
The Talker Research survey used an online methodology to reach a nationally representative sample of 2,000 parents with children 18 and under living at home. The company did not release a margin of error with the publicly shared findings.
As families navigate a landscape where purchases are increasingly digital, the survey suggests many parents are seeking practical ways to combine allowance practices, parental controls and early financial education to reduce the incidence and cost of unauthorized spending. Policymakers and child-focused fintech companies have in recent years encouraged tools such as parental approval settings in app stores, spending alerts and educational resources; the survey indicates demand for those approaches remains high among parents.
The survey results are limited to parents who responded online during the two-week polling period in April and reflect self-reported experiences and attitudes about children’s financial behavior. Achieve and Talker Research provided the aggregated results and commentary when releasing the findings in September 2025.