A class action against Apple by US parents angry at what they see as Apple unfairly profiting from in-app payments in mobile games aimed at children, has been given the green light, reports theBBC.

Apple had asked the US District Court to dismiss the case on the grounds that in-app purchasing can now be disabled on its devices, but US District Judge Edward Davila said the hearing will still go ahead.

The class action is being led by attorney Garen Meguerian who made a court filing in 2011 highlighting titles he thought were designed to induce the purchase of games currency.

he group of parents in the class action feel it is too easy for children to run up large bills though in-app purchases without the permission of their parents and that some people might not be aware of the financial implications of children being encouraged to buy items in mobile games.

With many iOS games free to download and then charging users for additional features, some of which can cost up to £70, some children are spending large amounts of money through these games.

The system used by Apple allows users to enter their credit details once with future payments being authorised with a single password. Apple’s recent revamp of the system added an extra password stage for in-app purchasing and added the ability to switch off in-app purchasing completely.

The US Federal Trade Commission investigated in-app payments last year and said developers must do more to warn parents about the content of their games.