From Mowing To Gaming: This Is How Kids Earn Money These Days

When kids wanted to earn a little bit of cash for something that their parents refused to buy for them, they work until they have the amount they need. These jobs include, but are not limited to chores, lawn-mowing and babysitting. Today, children spend a lot of time in front of the computer playing games, but Dr. Becca Ballinger, a child psychologist says that these children may actually be making money.

Gaming is ‘good for children’s brains’, study suggests || https://t.co/s0TXB3gfHx pic.twitter.com/tR9OYGZwES

— Schools Week (@SchoolsWeek) January 10, 2016

In a blog article for the Huffington Post, Dr. Ballinger discussed potential dangers that kids are being exposed to online, many of them, parents may not know about. According to Ballinger, teens are using gaming to make money online by selling virtual goods to other gamers.

This is actually a very lucrative "business" depending on how much time your child invests in his games. But first, what are virtual goods? Parenting noted that these are items awarded to gamers for reaching a certain game level.

Acquiring them can take hours, days, even weeks, so if there is a gamer engaged in competitive gaming, or is short in time to acquire said items, they can prefer to pay instead. The Economist mentioned that today, the video-game industry is a mainstream business with global sales more than twice to that of the music industry, which translates to bigger business opportunities for children trying to earn online.

How can #gaming data support #business decisions? @dc_hub's @Games4AI blogs for us: https://t.co/FsVMQP9MUq pic.twitter.com/D2mvElUg9n — Digital Catapult (@DigiCatapult) March 14, 2016

While it seems like just another business transaction, this type of practice can be dangerous. For one thing, the kids are buying apps on their phones that their parents may not know about. Another problem is that there is no accounting for who these children meet online.

As their gaming business improves, other aspects of the children's life may suffer, like school and socializing. Gaming can take the time that they can use for homework, sports, and even time with family and friends.

The amount of money they are making also increases the risk of these kids forming an unrealistic picture of their futures. So if you are wondering where your child may have gotten that toy or gadget you don't remember buying for him, look into his computer, he may be doing business transactions via gaming.