Key insights
6 takeaways · ~2 min read- 01The majority of children (74%) do not make in-game purchases, a stability trend maintained since 2020.See it on page 4
- 02Among the 26% of children who do spend money in-game, the average monthly expenditure dropped to €31, with 73% of these spenders limiting their costs to €20 or less per month.See it on page 6
- 03Gameplay-impacting items like weapons or powers are the primary drivers of spending (38%), followed by decorative cosmetics (30%) and loot-box rewards (21%).See it on page 5
- 04Parental oversight is robust, with 95% of spending households having established agreements and 63% enforcing explicit rules such as mandatory permission (49%) or spending caps (27%).See it on page 8
- 05Only 11% of all surveyed gamers have purchased real-money in-game currency, and only 4% have purchased loot boxes, with both figures remaining largely stagnant.See it on page 3
- 06The use of two-factor authentication and permission-based spending agreements has increased year-over-year, while only 5% of parents report no monitoring of their children's in-game activity.See it on page 8
Summary
Ipsos’ fifth edition of the In‑Game Spending by Children and Parent Supervision study tracks how European families manage micro‑transactions in video games, focusing on trends from 2018 through 2024. The research aims to gauge the prevalence of child‑initiated spending, the amount of money involved, and the supervisory mechanisms parents employ. The 2024 survey covered the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, sampling 2,772 adults with children who play games and 10,998 gamers aged 11‑64, using quota‑based online panels weighted to national populations.
Three‑quarters of parents report that their children do not purchase in‑game extras, a proportion that has remained stable since 2020. Among the 26 % who do spend, average monthly outlays fell to €31, down €8 from the previous year, with 73 % of spenders allocating €1‑20 per month. Gameplay‑impacting items such as new weapons or powers attract the most expenditure (38 %), while decorative cosmetics account for 30 % and loot‑box‑type rewards remain the least popular at 21 %. Parental oversight is high: 95 % of spending households have an agreement with their child, and 63 % maintain explicit rules, either requiring permission (49 %) or setting limits (27 %). Permission‑based agreements and two‑factor authentication have risen year‑on‑year, while a minority (5 %) admit to monitoring nothing.
Among all gamers surveyed, only 11 % have ever bought real‑money in‑game currency and 4 % have purchased loot boxes, figures that have shown little change over
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