Commenting on new financial education resources for schools, designed to help pupils  understand the risks of in-game purchases online, Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Schools recognise that financial education is vital to prepare children for the opportunities and responsibilities of adulthood.

“It helps to build children’s confidence and supports their mental health and wellbeing, as well as providing them with the skills to recognise and avoid harm caused by everything from in-game purchases and online exploitation, to scams and gambling.

“Schools need sufficient curriculum time and freely available high-quality resources to further support children and young people to develop their understanding of financial issues.

“Online platforms also need to step up to the plate, however, by strengthening age verification procedures, improving monitoring, providing clearer functions for reporting concerns, and introducing more transparent codes of conduct setting out the implications of misuse.”

NB: the resources are provided by Oak National Academy.