When spending and investing feel like play (2025)

One of the most significant trends is the growing intersection of FinTech with internet culture, particularly in social media and gaming. In this article, we focus on how these trends are driving new financial behaviors among young people. From the rise of meme coins to the gamification of investment, these digital environments are reshaping children’s financial futures by blending entertainment with financial engagement, making spending and investing feel like play. The following analysis is part of UNICEF Innocenti’s efforts to develop forward-looking insights and guiding principles to help protect and empower children in the digital financial landscape, together with a group of expert advisors across academia, industry, and government.

The rise of social payments

The integration of payment systems into social media platforms is reshaping digital interactions, with significant implications for users' financial behaviors, particularly among children and young people. Social media “gifting” is already prevalent in many East Asian markets. In the US, payment apps already incorporate social features, allowing users to share and comment on transactions, while popular social platforms are exploring payment integrations as part of a broader push toward offering financial services.

This shift reflects the growing trend of “attention monetization”, where users’ time and engagement are increasingly linked not only to social interactions but also to financial transactions. This trend is expected to gain worldwide momentum as platforms integrate payment features alongside content creation and consumption, making financial exchanges an inherent part of daily interactions.

Although this could enhance convenience and financial inclusion, particularly for younger users with limited access to traditional banking, it also raises concerns about financial literacy, privacy, and responsible spending as platforms blur the line between social engagement and consumerism. The psychological distance created when spending becomes a casual social activity rather than a deliberate financial decision poses unique challenges for developing healthy money habits.

The global gaming boom and financial accessibility

The gaming industry, now valued at over $200 billion, has evolved into a global entertainment powerhouse. With 3.4 billion gamers worldwide, gaming has transcended age groups and geographic boundaries. For children, gaming is more than entertainment; it is a significant part of their social and digital lives.

However, the rise of in-app purchases and microtransactions presents financial risks, particularly for young gamers who may not fully understand the implications of spending money within games. Virtual economies within gaming platforms are effectively creating parallel financial systems with their own currencies, exchange rates, and marketplaces - essentially functioning as a child's first experience with complex economic concepts.

As mobile commerce trends reshape gaming transactions, payments are becoming increasingly frictionless. Carrier billing, one-tap purchases, and “set-it-and-forget-it” authorizations make spending easier than ever, reducing the parental oversight that once acted as a safeguard. While these innovations can improve financial inclusion – especially for families in regions with limited banking access – they also blur the line between play and financial commitment. The more seamless these transactions become, the harder it is for parents to monitor and regulate spending, raising concerns about unchecked financial habits forming at an early age.

Gamification of investment

Gamified investing apps have grown increasingly popular, especially among young investors, by integrating game-like features such as points, badges, and leaderboards to make trading more engaging. While these platforms can help democratize finance by making markets more accessible and offer educational benefits through simulations that allow users to practice investing in a risk-free environment, they also come with significant risks.

Regulators have raised concerns that these features may blur the line between investing and gambling, potentially leading to impulsive and uninformed investment choices. Gamification elements can encourage excessive trading and speculative investments, as users may be enticed by the thrill of the experience rather than making informed financial decisions.

The interactive and reward-based nature of these apps could also foster compulsive behaviors, with some users developing compulsive trading habits that mirror gambling practices. These platforms often employ sophisticated behavioral design techniques that capitalize on young users' FOMO (fear of missing out) and social comparison tendencies, potentially normalizing high-risk financial behaviors during formative years.

The rise of commission-free trading and fractional shares has further lowered the barriers to entry, making it easier than ever for young people to engage in high-risk investments. While some platforms claim to promote financial literacy, their profit models often rely on increased user engagement – potentially at the expense of responsible investing.

Memecoins

Memecoins – cryptocurrencies built on internet jokes and viral trends – have surged in popularity, particularly among younger, digitally native audiences. Their low barriers to entry and rapid price swings make them enticing on the promise of quick financial gains, but they also pose significant risks. The hype-driven nature of memecoins, often fueled by influencers and social media buzz, can lead inexperienced investors (including children and young people) to make impulsive financial decisions without fully grasping the risks.

Unlike traditional investments backed by economic fundamentals, memecoins rely almost entirely on speculation, making them vulnerable to extreme volatility and sudden crashes. Their seamless integration with internet meme culture fosters a false sense of familiarity, luring young investors into financial risks they may not recognize. When financial products mimic the humor, aesthetics, and cultural shorthand of children’s online spaces, they erode the psychological barriers that typically signal caution. The result is a blurred boundary between entertainment and financial commitment, where speculative trading feels as natural as sharing a joke or liking a post.

This gamified environment creates fertile ground for manipulation. The ability to generate a memecoin in minutes has fueled a surge in fraudulent schemes, many engineered explicitly to exploit young users' trust in digital communities. Scammers co-opt the language and imagery of internet culture to fabricate legitimacy, using influencers, viral trends, and insider jargon to orchestrate "rug pulls" and pump-and-dump schemes. For children and teens immersed in these online spaces, distinguishing between genuine financial opportunities and predatory tactics becomes increasingly difficult, turning digital playgrounds into financial minefields.

Looking ahead

As we look ahead, FinTech is poised to shape the financial lives of children with increasing influence. The trends explored here (gamified investing, memecoins, social payments, and the gaming economy) are not isolated phenomena but part of a broader transformation in how young people learn about, interact with, and participate in financial systems.

While these developments present clear risks, they also offer substantial and often overlooked benefits. Financial technologies can build early financial literacy, expand access to digital financial services, and create pathways to future employment in an increasingly digital economy. For children and youth, especially those historically excluded from traditional finance, the potential for empowerment is real.

But maximizing these benefits (and minimizing the risks) requires more than just financial literacy initiatives or parental oversight. Regulation and policy are essential. Child-sensitive regulation must be proactive, designed to protect young users while supporting innovation that advances their rights and long-term well-being. This means embedding children’s needs and perspectives into the very architecture of digital finance, not just adapting tools after the fact.

For more on financial technologies and children's well-being, visit our project page.