A 13-year-old Chinese girl spent nearly Rs 52,19,809 on online gaming in four months, depleting her family’s funds. The story serves as a reminder of the dangers of excessive gaming and how important it is to monitor your kids’ time online.
Gaming addiction is a serious problem, and it can become hazardous when it gets out of control. A 13-year-old Chinese girl who spent nearly Rs 52,19,809 (449,500 yuan) on online gaming in four months entirely depleted her family’s funds. The majority of games contain in-game purchases that entice players to part with extra cash in exchange for access to strong tools that will enable them to play the game even better.
The incident was discovered when the girl’s teacher noted her excessive phone use while at school and believed she could be addicted to pay-to-play games, according to South China Morning Post. The mother of the child was alerted by the teacher’s concern, and when she went to check the daughter’s bank account, she was astounded by what she found.
The mother of the girl, Wang, discovered that her account had only a 0.5 yuan (about Rs. 5) balance. In a popular video, she broke down in tears and sobbedly displayed pages of bank bills that indicated multiple payments made for mobile games. She admitted to spending 120,000 yuan (about Rs 13,93,828) on games and an extra 210,000 yuan (roughly Rs 24,39,340) on in-game purchases when the girl’s father questioned her. She had furthermore spent an additional 100,000 yuan (about Rs 11,61,590) on games for at least 10 of her classmates.
Despite her hesitation and concern, the girl revealed that she had purchased the games of her peers. She claimed to know nothing about the history of money. She connected her smartphone to a debit card she had at home. It’s important to note that her mother had given her the card’s password in case she required cash when they weren’t there. The girl had erased all evidence of game-related transactions from her smartphone in order to hide her activity. When she saw her mother’s debit card in front of her, she had already used it, according to the post.
As a result of the story’s viral success on Chinese social media sites, there are conflicting views among online users on who should be held accountable for the predicament. Others blame the parents for the lack of monitoring, while some think that a 13-year-old girl should be aware of her activities.
China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and China are reported to have the most smartphone addicts, according to a 2022 research by McGill University. The event serves as a sharp reminder of the dangers of excessive gaming and the value of parental supervision when it comes to controlling kids’ digital habits.
