When kids make in-app purchases or send gifts, parents can demand refunds for large sums spent by kids over eight if they never gave consent

9. When kids make in-app purchases or send gifts, parents can demand refunds for large sums spent by kids over eight if they never gave consent

Cost: There’s no direct monetary cost, but it does take time to gather evidence and negotiate with platforms. Most platforms initially refuse refunds but eventually comply. If talks fail, legal action becomes necessary — a process that can take months and requires paying attorney fees out of pocket. Thus, it’s far more efficient to compile all relevant documentation first and approach both the platform and China’s 12315 consumer hotline. The real challenge lies in getting the child to cooperate and share details.

In plain terms: Money spent by children over eight years old can be legally invalidated and refunded if the amount far exceeds what one would reasonably expect for their age and level of maturity, and if parents neither approved nor acknowledged the transaction. For kids under eight, any spending is automatically considered invalid, as they lack legal capacity to make such decisions. Even silence from parents is interpreted by law as a refusal to acknowledge the expense.

Benefit: Minors aged eight and older are classified as having limited legal capacity — meaning they may only engage in activities appropriate to their age and maturity level. Any financial transaction beyond that scope requires explicit approval or retroactive acknowledgment from a legal guardian. Conversely, children under eight are deemed completely incapable of independent decision-making; all actions must be handled by their guardians. In the absence of any affirmative response from parents, the law presumes they reject the transaction.

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National People's Congress (2020). Civil Code. Supreme People's Procuratorate of China Reprinted in full. <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml> Article 19: "Minors over eight years old are persons with limited capacity for civil conduct, and the performance of civil legal acts shall be represented by their legal agent or ratified with the consent of their legal agent; However, civil legal acts solely for profit or civil legal acts commensurate with his or her age and mental health may be independently performed. "Article 20: "A minor under the age of eight is a person without capacity for civil conduct and shall be represented by his or her legal representative to perform civil legal acts. "Article 145: "Civil legal acts for pure gain or civil legal acts commensurate with his or her age, intelligence, and mental health are valid. Other civil legal acts performed shall be effective upon approval or ratification by the legal agent. "If the legal agent fails to express his/her consent, the ratification shall be deemed to have been refused."

Notes: The crux of success lies in proving that a child — not a parent — performed the transaction. Helpful evidence includes: transaction timestamps coinciding with school hours or times when parents are at work; device usage logs; chat histories and gaming records; and a direct statement from the child. There is no fixed monetary threshold defining “age-appropriate” spending — a few dozen yuan spent on game skins differs vastly from tens of thousands spent on virtual gifts. Prevention is far easier: set spending limits without requiring passwords, enable youth protection modes, and never disclose payment codes to children. For cases where parents themselves impulsively make such purchases, refer to the section titled “Avoid giving gifts to streamers, making in-game purchases, or acting on impulse.”