A Chinese family lost over 480,000 yuan (about US$67,000) in one summer after their 14-year-old son spent savings on mobile games and livestream rewards, leaving refunds uncertain.
Tags:A Chinese family that spent years saving money through fruit selling and seasonal farm work has been left struggling after their 14-year-old son allegedly spent more than 480,000 yuan (about US$67,000) on mobile games and livestream rewards during a single summer holiday.
Screenshot from MSN news
The boy, identified as Xiao Yi, had previously been a source of pride for his parents. Until the first half of junior high school, he regularly ranked among the top students in his class and had collected numerous awards for academic performance. Then his grades suddenly collapsed.
Screenshot from MSN news
His father, Wang Qiang, initially suspected problems at school and even transferred him to one of the best middle schools in their area. He later discovered that Xiao Yi had become heavily addicted to mobile games.
The teenager had his own smartphone, originally intended for online classes. After downloading several popular games, however, he began secretly using his mother's phone to make payments after she returned home late at night.
According to Wang, Xiao Yi had memorised his mother's payment password by watching her use it. He would transfer money to gaming platforms and delete the transaction records afterward.
Much of the money went toward virtual skins, game items and livestream donations. Xiao Yi also reportedly tipped livestreamers because he wanted to get to know them and join their private gaming groups.
Screenshot from MSN news
The scale of the spending only became clear when Wang examined his wife's payment records.
Between June 1 and August 29, he printed 49 pages of transactions. He estimated that nearly 200,000 yuan was spent on livestream rewards. More than 70,000 yuan went into Peacekeeper Elite, over 40,000 yuan into Delta Force, while other games accounted for tens of thousands more. July spending approached 190,000 yuan, while August spending reached about 280,000 yuan. In total, the family says more than 480,000 yuan was spent.
For the family, this was not simply disposable money. Wang follows the watermelon harvest across China, travelling from Inner Mongolia to Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Hebei and Ningxia as the fruit ripens in different regions. He earns as little as 0.05 yuan per kilogram of watermelon.
His wife runs a small fruit stall in Chifeng, often starting work around 3 a.m. to purchase supplies and working until after 9 p.m. Some of the family's savings had been set aside for the grandmother's medical treatment, while the rest was intended for school fees and business expenses.
The consequences also appeared to affect Xiao Yi's health. During the summer, Wang repeatedly found him awake late at night. On August 20, the teenager reportedly collapsed at a holiday tutoring centre. Doctors found no serious physical problem, but Wang later learned that his son had been staying awake all night playing games.
Wang reported the matter to police, but was told that the payments had been voluntarily made by the child and therefore did not constitute a criminal case.
With help from journalists, the family submitted evidence to the relevant livestream and gaming companies and requested refunds under rules concerning minors' online spending. One platform reportedly spoke with Xiao Yi for more than an hour to examine the transactions, while the gaming companies had yet to respond.
Screenshot from MSN news
Wang said he accepts that his family failed to supervise their son closely enough, but added that parents struggling to make a living can find it difficult to monitor everything their children do online.
“I sometimes still can’t believe this is real,” he said. Whether the family can recover the money remains uncertain. The case has also renewed concerns over how easily children can access digital payments and spend large amounts on virtual goods and livestreams before parents realise what is happening.
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Editor:Vivi G
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