New Survey on Children’s Purchases of In-Game Content Shows Parents More Involved Than Ever

Brussels 06/11/26, Video Games Europe is pleased to publish the sixth edition of the Ipsos survey on parental supervision and children’s spending on in-game content. For the first time, the survey covers 16 European markets: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The key findings are: 

• 93% of parents of children who buy in-game content actively monitor their children’s spending. 
• 78% of these parents have an agreement with their child about in-game spending. That’s the highest level since 2019 in the five markets tracked since 2018. 
• 71% of parents of children who play video games say their children do not make purchases.   
• Among children who do spend, average monthly has gone down by 10%  (from €31 to €28) in the five long-tracked markets. 

“Since 2018, Video Games Europe has provided trusted data on this topic to improve understanding of the trends. This year’s survey, now covering 16 European countries, shows that children’s average spend has fallen again and that parents are more involved than ever, with almost eight in ten agreeing ground rules with their children. The video games industry works tirelessly to encourage responsible gameplay and to equip parents with the knowledge and tools to guide their children and to help families come to agreements that work for them.” 

Simon Little, CEO of Video Games Europe

"Europe’s game developers, from small independent studios to large publishers, share a commitment to building games that families can trust. These findings show that parents across Europe are engaged, informed and using the tools available to them.” 

Jari-Pekka Kaleva, Managing Director at European Games Developer Federation (EGDF)

Methodology notes: Ipsos ran the 2025 survey online in January–February 2026, as part of GameTrack, among a nationally representative sample of 6–75-year-olds in 16 markets (5,489 parents/guardians of children who play video games). The method was upgraded in 2025 to cover 16 EU markets and to extend age band from 64 to 75. The year-on-year comparison remains possible with the five core markets and 6–64-year-olds. 

Any journalist interested in topics relevant to Video Games Europe is welcome to get in touch with us for information or individual briefings. 

Contacts: 
Nicholas Elles, VP Communications and Public Affairs – nicholas.elles@videogameseurope.eu | https://www.videogameseurope.eu 

 Heidi Lambert, Press Relations – +44 7932 141291 | heidilambert@hlcltd.co.uk