The most popular mobile games in the UK are being advertised without disclosing they contain loot boxes - random in-game purchases which critics say are "exploitative" and "foster addiction".
The regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), says it bans and removes ads which fail to make the clear whether or not a game contains a loot box.
Four children spent nearly £550 in three weeks buying player packs to play the Fifa football video game online on the family's Nintendo Switch console.
In Fifa, special players can be bought in packs, but the contents are only revealed after payment is completed.
The children's father, Thomas Carter, had bought them a single pack for around £8, and had not realised they had seen how he made the purchase.
"You pay £40 for the game, which is a lot of money in itself, but then the only way to get a great team is essentially by gambling," he said, referring to online play.
"They spent £550 and they still never got their favourite player, Lionel Messi."
There are two themes here; adults' digital literacy and how users (children) become gamblers to be successful players of games.
Video-sharing app TikTok says it is "sorry" that some children and other young people have felt pressured into sending money to their favourite influencers on the app.
TikTok lets fans send their favourite videomakers "digital gifts", which can cost up to £48.99.
'Claire, 12, who lives in the north-west of England, sent TikTok star Sebastian Moy a £48.99 "drama queen" gift to show her appreciation for his videos.'
12 years old.
The company says it is most popular with 16- to 24-year-olds but there is evidence that many users are under 13, which is against the app's rules.
Rhys, 20 said he had spent more than £1,000 without realising it.
"Gifting on TikTok is a little bit like gambling," he said "It gets addictive. I really didn't see anything wrong with it at the time but now I don't think it's worth it.
"I have nothing to show for it.
A House of Commons committee has announced plans to investigate the growth of “immersive and addictive technologies”, to advise the government on how to create policy and regulation that can protect the public from the negative effects of digitisation and “gamification”.
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