Kids can make fatal mistakes at times – i.e. if left alone for a little while. Take Danny Kitchen; a 5 year old kid who spent $2,500 buying bombs ‘n shit on the Zombies Vs. Ninja game. Personally, I have played the game and I loved it – but the fact that you have to spend real money on certain weapon and item upgrades, makes me angry at times.

What happened in Danny Kitchen’s case is that his parents had to attend a small gathering at their home. They didn’t want Danny to sulk in a corner so Ma and Pa hand him their iPad, alongside the passcode. Looks like that’s all what Danny needed to get started on online shopping.

The next day, the Kitchens received 19 emails from iTunes, confirming several item purchases for the Zombies Vs. Ninja game. Later on, their credit card company called; alerting the parents about a recent and sudden purchase made from the family’s CC.

Greg and Sharon Kitchen didn’t have to investigate any further. Sharon realized that it was Danny who caused this entire debacle in the first place. During an interview with the Telegraph respondent, Sharon said, “I realized what happened and told Danny he’d better get ready for bed and run and hide before daddy got home. He was crying, as the rest of the children were telling him we could have bought a house with the amount he had spent.”

Was it Far Too Easy for a 5 Year Old to Make an Online Purchase?

The question, however, still hangs in the balance. Was it easy for Danny Kitchen to shop online? Of course, this incident was not the first of its kind. There have been several other reports of parents sobbing over how their kids spent real money to purchase Smurf Berries, etc. etc.

Apple representatives believe that already enough measures have been taken to prevent kids from shopping online. The credit card was probably linked to the iTunes or app store account by default. The boy simply tapped and kept purchasing random virtual gaming stuff without even realizing it.

In this particular case, Apple refunded all the money to the Kitchen’s financial account. It was a kind gesture from Apple because the company is not liable to refund anything. An Apple spokesperson said, “The ‘Our parents’ guide to iTunes details the steps and measures parents and guardians can take to make sure younger players have access to the right content. The first thing we recommend is not to share your password.“