A New Option for Parents of Amazon-Happy Teens
It’s a tough time, being a teenager. Sometimes it seems like you can’t do much of anything without someone else’s say-so, but at the same time, you’re supposed to be actively building the skills you’ll need for adulthood. Now, those teenagers will be able to put into practice a skill that they’ll likely use for much of their adult lives, especially if I’m any indication. That skill is shopping on Amazon, as Amazon recently added a new kind of login tool for the 13 to 17 year old set.
The Amazon app will now allow mobile-savvy teens to shop using their own login information, which will still have a note of parental control behind it. Said teens will be able to shop or stream content, but parents will have the option to have final approval on those orders.
There will also be room for parents to pre-set spending limits, which can be modified as needed throughout the teenager’s life. The app sends a text message or email to parents to make the last approval call, then the order goes through for approval as it normally would otherwise.
Amazon Households vice president Michael Carr commented “As a parent of a teen, I know how they crave independence, but, at the same time, that has to be balanced with the convenience and trust that parents need. We’ve listened to families and have built a great experience for both teens and parents. For teens who have a parent with a Prime membership, they can also access Prime benefits at no additional cost, including fast, free shipping, Prime Video and gaming benefits with Twitch Prime.”
The pre-set spending limits are an excellent idea in general—we’ve all seen how kids with app store access can spend parents into the poor house thanks to microtransactions—but some might find the last approval step a little less than useful. Thankfully, it can be adjusted to the point where just about any parent can accommodate his or her individual parenting style, from the most carefree to the most careful.
That flexibility can be particularly helpful, whether wanting to exert active control over a teenager’s content viewing or just keep spending reined in. That shows us just what a mobile app, along with a mobile payments program, can do.