Nearly one-in-three parents have discovered their child has made an online purchase without permission, with kids’ most expensive unapproved shopping sprees costing families about $170 on average.
According to a nationally representative survey of 2,000 parents with children 18 and under, 31% said their kids have made digital purchases without permission.
For some, the cost was much higher than the $170 average: Nearly one-in-five parents (19%) reported their child’s spending spree exceeded $300.
While many of these unapproved purchases were for things like video games and fashion, some kids went for bigger ticket items, including computers, smartphones, smart watches, and cameras.
A few parents even reported that their children purchased stocks and cryptocurrency.
A lack of monitoring and understanding
Commissioned by the digital personal finance company Achieve and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that despite the financial risks, many parents aren’t closely monitoring their children’s spending.
For example, 23% of parents rarely or never check their children’s debit and credit card activity.
Additionally, 11% rarely or never require their kids to get permission before making digital purchases.
This lack of oversight may reflect a deeper issue: Parents often struggle teaching financial awareness, and as a result, many children simply don’t grasp the value of money.
The study revealed that 72% of parents feel their child doesn’t fully understand the value of a dollar. This is especially true with digital currency, as 44% of parents admitted it’s harder to teach kids the value of digital money versus physical money.
“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,” said Brad Stroh, co-founder and co-chief executive officer at Achieve. “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 and consequences
The survey also explored how parents handle allowances and financial awareness.
The majority of parents polled (57%) give their children a regular allowance, most frequently paying in cash (73%).
On average, kids receive about $119 per month, though 14% get more than $250.
Even with a budget, overspending is common, as only 12% of parents said their kids never go over their allowance.
When an unapproved purchase is made, most parents (56%) address it by having a conversation with their children. Other consequences included taking away a device (23%), requiring the child to pay back the money (20%), and freezing or restricting bank account access (11%).
Many parents want their kids to learn financial awareness and responsibility, with 66% saying they’d be more relaxed about their children’s spending if they showed they understood the value of money.
However, teaching these lessons isn’t easy. A large majority of parents (61%) wished that a financial expert could teach their child healthy spending habits for them.
“There’s no single ‘right way’ to teach kids to have a healthy relationship with money, but the key is for parents to have a thoughtful, tailored, and consistent approach to their kids’ financial education,” said Stroh. “Starting conversations with kids about money early on will set them up for a more successful financial future.”
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 American parents with a child aged 18 and under living at home; the survey was commissioned by Achieve and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 14 and April 23, 2025.
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