How parents can use AI to check spending risks in games
Around half of children feel games are not fun unless they spend money. Many games include financial risks, from gambling-like features to scams and pressure to keep spending.
With thousands of games available, it can be difficult for parents to understand what risks might be present, what is age‑appropriate, and how serious those risks could be.
Many parents now turn to AI chatbots for information about parenting and child welfare. But how reliable are the insights these tools provide about financial risks in games?
How reliable are AI chatbots at explaining financial risks?
Four in five parents now use AI tools, including many who seek advice about parenting and child welfare. However, the quality of the information chatbots provide can vary depending on how questions are asked and the specific tool used.
To understand this better, we carried out research with youth platform VoiceBox to test how well AI chatbots explain financial features in games and whether they can help identify potential spending risks.
Our research found that the quality of responses varies significantly. Vague questions can lead to unclear or incomplete answers, while specific and well‑structured prompts tend to produce more informative responses.
This guide shows parents how to frame questions and use tested strategies to get clearer, more accurate information from AI chatbots.
While this guide focuses on financial harms in games, the same approach may be useful when using AI chatbots for other parenting questions.
You will find ready‑to‑use prompts, tips for asking better questions, and guidance on improving the clarity and usefulness of AI responses.
3 great AI prompts: ready to try.
Games often include opportunities for children to spend money, and it can be hard to know which ones are risky. These prompts were tested during our research to help parents get clearer and more accurate information from AI chatbots. Replace [Game Name] with the game and [Platform] with the platform your child uses.
1. To find out about unhealthy spending and risks in a game.
Copy and paste the text below. Remember to customise it to the game you are interested in.
Create nothing but a table including all of the microtransactions and in-game purchases for the game [Game Name] on [Platform]. Include a score from 1 to 10 on whether the game is seen to be pay-to-win. Include a score from 1 to 10 on how likely the game is to encourage unhealthy spending. Include a suggested age rating based on potential financial risk. Respond with only the table and scores, the least and most expensive available microtransactions in the game, followed by a short summary of the data.
2. To find out how easy or difficult it would be for a child to purchase a microtransaction in a game.
Copy and paste the text below. Remember to customise it to the game you are interested in.
Does [Game Name] have parental controls that can block or monitor my child’s in-game spending on [Platform]?
3. To find out if a game encourages frequent purchases.
Copy and paste the text below. Remember to customise it to the game you are interested in.
List the specific design tactics, such as time-limited offers, streak rewards, or peer pressure incentives, used in [Game Name] on [Platform] to encourage frequent purchases.
5 tips for creating better AI prompts
Be specific
Instead of asking “Is [Game X] safe?”, ask bots to explain specific spending risks or tactics. For example, “Which in-game purchases could encourage my child to spend too much?” This helps improve the clarity and reliability of the AI response.
Keep it neutral
Avoid emotional phrasing – for example, “Is my child in danger?” – and focus on facts. Ask about what spending options exist, how they work, and how risky they might be. Neutral phrasing helps AI give more accurate and actionable information.
Include your child’s age
AI gives more relevant answers when it knows your child’s age. For example, say “my 12-year-old” so the response considers developmental stage and spending risks.
Ask about specific design tactics
Ask the AI to identify specific design features a game uses to encourage spending. Examples include loot boxes, streak rewards, time-limited offers, or peer pressure incentives. Focusing on design tactics improves the detail and reliability of the response.
Separate Third-Party risks
Some risks come from outside the main game, such as third-party websites or unofficial marketplaces. Ask the AI to list these separately. AI may miss these risks if questions are not specific, so it is important to check and verify the responses.
How reliable are AI chatbots?
We conducted research with youth platform VoiceBox to test how well five popular AI chatbots provide information about financial risks in games: Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, and Meta AI.
The results showed that the quality of information varies between chatbots. Accuracy depends on how questions are asked and the chatbot’s own behavior or “persona.”
In our testing, Claude generally provided the most consistently useful answers, followed by Gemini. However, results varied depending on the questions asked, so the most effective chatbot may be the one a parent is most familiar with.
Things to watch out for:
- Chatbots may mix up different versions of the same game (e.g., mobile vs console).
- They may treat third-party sites or unofficial marketplaces as part of the main game.
- Some responses may sound confident but contain incorrect information (“hallucinations”).
- Hidden spending risks may be missed if questions are not specific.
- Informal language, slang, or joking tones may make answers confusing.
If you would like to read the full report, click here.