Ask HN: How can we solve the mobile economy | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How can we solve the mobile economy

1 pointfigassis4 comments

As a parent I have a hard time finding good apps for my daughter (games, education and others). They’re usually crap, but all of them have in common that are all subscription based. Games are the biggest offenders, because they’re in-app purchase based. Every little interaction and progress requires paying for things. You end up with a child that is always asking for parents to enable some feature/upgrade/item that just showed up, only to find that it’s an IAP. These aren’t games, these are stores disguised as games.

When I bought my daughter an iPad, I spent about $200 buying full versions of apps and game, even yearly subscriptions so she’d have lots of entertainment, games, education without being nagged for more money. Less than a month later, none of that mattered. I refuse to be taken advantage of in this way, worse, by using my kids as ransom. How can we fix this?

> How can we fix this?

Educate the parents.

This stuff isn't just harmful to your wallet, it's harmful to your child's health [1,2]. You may as well be encouraging her to smoke cigarettes.

You're the adult in charge. Remove the demand by learning about the many harms of exploitative online digital products for children, the depression and mental illness, loss of focus, irritability, poor socialisation...

Figure out how you're going to pass positive life-stance changes to your kid. Explain to her what the glut of phones and tablets are doing to the planet. Wean her gently off the addiction that is probably already taking hold.

Go riding bikes, flying kites and looking at nature.

Then, slowly reintroduce technology as a useful tool under close supervision.

[1] https://ledger.humanetech.com/

[2] https://digitalvegan.net

> As a parent I have a hard time finding good apps for my daughter

Why not a stationary PC? It has much more mature and complex games (and Android emulation for "apps"), is open to modding, has proper peripherals and can do general computing. And it being stationary means you have a "physical distinctiveness" of the place.

The mobile (gaming) market is so flooded with exploitative, ephemeral shovelware it stopped being funny long ago...

For a start don't buy $200 worth of app subscriptions for things you don't need.

They were needed for the learning and activities plan I created. I don’t buy things lightly.

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