One in three children regularly uses a bank card in shops, but parents worry that they are too careless about security, according to research by advice bureau Nibud.

Three-quarters of children aged between 10 and 18 have a bank account and half of these have a debit card (pinpas). However, the proportion who know their pin code by heart fell from 78% to 62% in the last five years.

The figures are contained in Nibud’s latest survey of children’s finances.

Parents who took part were less sure than in previous years that their children take security precautions when paying. Five years ago 90% of parents said they were sure their children checked nobody was looking before typing in their pin, compared to 72% in 2018.

Around half of parents check their children’s bank accounts, though the number falls to around a third once children reach their teenage years. Nibud said parents had a vital role to play in ensuring children learn to use money and bank cards responsibly, to prevent financial difficulties later on.

‘It helps them to learn to keep on top of their income and expenditure, which is unmissable for keeping your finances balanced. It’s primarily a job for parents, but banks can help them by making children’s details more acccessible,’ said Nibud director Arjan Vliegenthart.