© final gather
For all those parents who remember the first huge phone bill loaded with cell phone ringtones and texting fees from their kids, the unfortunate news is that this is not a thing of the past. The multibillion dollar market of mobile app makers is gearing up to target children into making lots of small purchases within apps, games and social networking services.
For example, an avatar accessory in their video game or a cool new ringtone may cost only 50 cents, but these small fees quickly add up if kids use the apps on a daily basis. And these so-called "micro payments" end up on your credit card or monthly wireless bill, giving you a macro headache. The payments represent a new revenue stream for app and game makers, particularly those who market through Apple's iTunes store. Some app creators report they are seeing four and five times the revenue from sales of things in the app than from the original app.
