"My Elementary School-Aged Daughter Donated 2 Million Won to a BJ" Parents Outraged After Refund Denied: Can They Get It Back?

Repeated donations after BJ called out her username
Claims platform and BJ refused refund
Past controversy over elementary school student donating 130 million won
Legal guardian's consent is key

Controversy has erupted after a mother reportedly requested a refund upon belatedly learning that her elementary school-aged daughter had donated 2 million won to an internet broadcaster (BJ), only to be refused. There have been similar cases in the past in which minors secretly donated tens of millions of won or even more than 100 million won to internet broadcasters without their parents’ knowledge. This has prompted calls to strengthen platforms’ responsibility for managing payments and their safeguards for protecting minors.

Controversy has erupted after a mother who discovered belatedly that her elementary-school-aged daughter had donated 2 million won to an internet streamer requested a refund but was turned down. The image was generated by AI for illustrative purposes.

On October 20, a post titled “My elementary school-aged daughter sent 2 million won to an Excel-style broadcast BJ” appeared on social media and social networking services (SNS). The writer, identified as A, said, “My hands are shaking so much that I can barely write,” and revealed that she had belatedly discovered that her elementary school-aged daughter had donated a total of 2 million won to a particular male BJ while watching his online broadcasts.

The so-called “Excel-style broadcasts” watched by the girl feature several BJs who compete in real time, with rankings determined by the amount of donations they receive from viewers. The performers’ rankings change according to the amount of support they receive, and they encourage viewers to participate by calling donors by their usernames or giving them special attention. According to A’s post, her daughter repeatedly sent money because she liked it when the BJ called out her username and showed her attention each time she donated.

The dispute arose during the refund process. A said, “I know my child did something wrong, and of course I scolded her,” but added, “2 million won is no small amount. When I asked the platform and the BJ’s side for a refund, all they did was repeat, ‘It’s not possible under our rules’ and ‘Report it to the police.’” She went on to express her frustration, saying, “Sending the money took just a few taps, but now that I’m trying to get it back, does the victim have to contact every possible place themselves?”

She also expressed guilt over her daughter’s actions. A said, “My child usually likes idols, so I tried to explain things to her. She said, ‘I thought it was okay to like someone who does broadcasts because they aren’t an idol.’ I can’t help wondering if I raised her poorly.”

“Parents are responsible” vs. “Platforms must also put safeguards in place”

After A’s story became public, online users were divided over parents’ responsibility to supervise their children and platforms’ duty to protect minors. Some pointed to the platforms’ responsibility, asking, “Can’t a payment made by a minor without parental consent be canceled?” and saying, “The system itself is the problem if an elementary school student can spend as much as 2 million won,” and “A system that uses money to attract donors’ attention could be dangerous for young children.”

This image was generated by AI to help readers understand the article.

Others responded, “Parents are also responsible if they let their children use their payment methods,” “It’s difficult for a BJ to check a donor’s age in real time,” and “If all donations already received had to be refunded unconditionally, people might exploit the system.” In particular, the case has raised concerns that go beyond a simple payment mishap, drawing attention to the potential impact of the competitive donation structure of internet broadcasts on minors.

Calling out donors’ usernames or giving them special attention based on their ranking provides viewers with an immediate sense of reward. Some are concerned that young viewers who are unfamiliar with this kind of setup may spend donations impulsively in order to gain attention and recognition. Calls have therefore been made for practical safeguards, including stricter payment limits for minor accounts, effective procedures for obtaining consent from legal guardians, and notifications to guardians when large or repeated payments are made.

There are also calls for parents to check their children’s internet broadcast viewing history and payment methods, while educating them about the nature of online donations and the financial risks involved.

Elementary school student donated 130 million won... Refund disputes keep recurring

The issue of minors making large donations to internet broadcasts is not new, as the case of A’s daughter illustrates. In 2020, it became known that an elementary school student who was 11 at the time had donated about 130 million won to BJs on an internet broadcasting platform using her mother’s mobile phone and bank account, sparking public controversy.

The student reportedly transferred large sums to several BJs over a period of 10 days. The money was said to be a deposit the family had saved to move into a home rented on a jeonse basis.

After learning what had happened, the father contacted more than 30 BJs who had received the donations and requested refunds individually. The case was eventually resolved after the Korea Communications Commission stepped in to mediate and the platform agreed to cooperate with refunds as a first step.

In 2021, controversy arose after internet broadcaster Lalal refused to refund paid donation items worth about 1.4 million won that she had received from a middle school student.

Lalal explained at the time that she had refused the refund because she wanted to discourage thoughtless, repeated donations. However, after facing continued criticism, she reportedly visited the student’s family and returned the full amount. These earlier cases show that large payments can be made repeatedly when minors have easy access to mobile phones or bank accounts registered in their guardians’ names.

The key legal issue in cases involving refunds of donations made by minors is whether their legal guardians consented to the payment. Article 5 of the Civil Act of the Republic of Korea stipulates that, in principle, a minor must obtain consent from a legal guardian when performing a legal act. A legal act performed without such consent may be canceled by the minor or their legal guardian. Therefore, if an elementary school student purchased paid items for an internet broadcast without parental consent, there may be grounds to seek cancellation of the payment under the relevant laws. However, not every donation made by a minor is automatically refundable. The legal assessment may vary depending on whether the payment was made using property the parents had previously permitted the child to use, whether the minor misrepresented themselves as an adult, and how they used a payment method registered in a guardian’s name.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.