Don't just hand over your credit card number to the children so they can pay for Spotify, he says.
Discuss with them the entire life cycle of borrowing and repayment. They may not realise, for example, that if they only make the minimum payment, the amount they owe grows.
One thing that makes it hard for developing teens is that the concept of "going into the red" is long gone. Their credit limit is often viewed as a spending limit or even free money and "emergencies" are no longer buying essential text books or fixing their car. There are, instead, everyday emergencies such as that nice shirt you just saw for sale in Zara or H&M.
If teens didn't learn about credit cards at school or home they may not even understand that the money they can spend needs to be paid back, says Tom Hartmann, of Sorted.org.nz.
Brown, a millennial, says everyone his age knows someone who borrowed at university with no understanding of the implications and ramifications if they didn't pay it back.
Another issue is social media. Combined with peer pressure it magnifies the problem of young people being unable to differentiate between needs and wants, Brown says.
First-time credit card users often buy more than they can afford, thinking they need, want or deserve the consumer goods their richer friends, colleagues or parents own.
TIPS FOR THE TEENS IN YOUR LIFE:
Credit cards aren't evil
They were designed to help with emergencies and can tide people over when they're caught short.
Choose a low interest card
The Co-operative Bank offers a card at 12.95 per cent interest with a $20 annual fee. ASB charges 13.50 per cent with no fee. Other high street banks were offering 13.45-13.90 per cent interest rates and annual fees from $50 to $65 this week.
Create a credit history
Use your card sparingly and pay it off every month to build a good credit history, which is handy when you want to get your first utility account, car loan, or even mortgage.
Be wary of credit card insurance
Unless you're employed full time (not self-employed or working part time) credit card insurance probably won't cover you and is wasted money.
Beware of cards handed out with HP
It can be confusing to know what you're paying off on the interest-free deals with the likes of Gem Visa, Q Card and Farmers Finance Card, through retailers. It's easy to miss repayments and end up paying interest you thought you'd escaped.
Think twice about raising your limit
My colleague Mary Holm received a letter from a parent whose teenager's bank pushed her to increase the original limit from $500 to $10,000, which she promptly spent. The smaller the limit the less you can spend unnecessarily.
Cash advances are expensive
Withdrawing cash from a machine on your credit card comes with hefty interest. It's not the same as using an Eftpos card.
Fortunately many millennials are smart enough to bypass credit completely and get a debit card. That way they can still pay online, but only use their own money.
