EU consumer groups slam 'manipulative' video game spending tactics.

Because its not actually slamming it, but the tactics are actually manipulative.

Exception to the rule.

To be fair, basic skills for being a human seem to have become a black art that only few can master. So expecting them to be responsible parents is actually probably a bit too high of an expectation. This isn't an excuse to be a bad parent, of course.

Of course parents not taking appropriate precautions doesn't absolve the companies of responsibility. Unethical behavior is unethical behavior, even if there are things consumers can do to protect themselves from it. After all, the precautions wouldn't be necessary if the companies didn't engage in this behavior in the first place, so these precautions aren't really solutions only mitigations.

And because of them a bunch of games on Steam and other platforms are banned in my country. I occasionaly check SteamDB and see a popular game or new release and I can't find it in the store because apparently it is blocked in my country.

Wish there was a way for us to just see all games, because this usually involves games that have lootboxes that are entirely optional and I will never buy, but because some undisciplined kids and terrible parents the rest of us have to pay the price for it.

I seriously thought that it's a myth that someone buys these premium currencies on free to play games. Like someone who buys this WinRAR license.

I'd assume that on average a kid buys 6 AAA games a year. That would be more probable for ~39€ a month. In this case they'd have mixed up many different things here.