Child safety groups ask FTC to investigate Roblox over design, spending, and chat risks

Child Safety Groups Urge FTC To Investigate Roblox Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Two child safety groups filed a complaint against online interactive gaming platform Roblox with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on May 20, alleging that children face sexual and financial harm on the platform. A boy poses for a photo while holding a game pad in front of a screen displaying the logo of the children's gaming platform Roblox, in this illustration taken on Dec. 8, 2025. Ramil Sitdikov/Illustration/Reuters Filed by nonprofits National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and Fairplay, the complaint claims that certain Roblox features are "developmentally inappropriate for the platform's massive young user base and pose a substantial risk of harm." Such features include engagement-maximizing design features, a complex virtual currency system that can result in more user spending, and chat and communication features that expose children to sexual exploitation. These components "capitalize on young users' developmental vulnerabilities, exploit their desire for authentic self-expression, monetize their lack of impulse control, and turn in-game purchasing power into a form of social status," the complaint states. "As a result, young users say they feel a constant pressure to keep up with their peers on the platform, and are thereby driven to buy and spend Robux in order to enjoy Roblox's experiences. "At the same time, the voice and text chat features that make the platform social repeatedly expose children to sexual content and harmful adults, resulting in sexual exploitation and abuse." According to the complaint, Roblox requires users to be at least 5 years old to open an account. Last month, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said at a press conference that Roblox, which has roughly 151.5 million daily active users, is used by almost half of all American children under 16. Around 42 percent of the platform's users are children under the age of 13. The nonprofits asked the FTC to investigate Roblox for violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act and check whether the company is in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Meanwhile, Roblox's share price has crashed. On July 31, 2025, the company's share price hit its year-high of $150.59. On May 21, 2026, prices closed at $46.14, a decline of nearly 70 percent. Since Sept. 29, Roblox's market capitalization has tumbled from $98.7 billion to $32.8 billion as of May 21, a loss of almost $66 billion. Design, Currency, Communication Issues Regarding the platform's design and marketing features, the complaint alleged that the company leverages them to "capitalize on child users' vulnerabilities." For instance, one tactic used by the company is making users' game inventories of virtual assets visible to each other. "By allowing children to investigate who owns what, Roblox takes advantage of their developmental proclivity for social comparison, which involves measuring their self-worth relative to others," the complaint reads. To take part in Roblox's in-game economy, users must navigate a wide range of virtual currencies, including the platform's primary currency, Robux, and other currencies issued by developers. To calculate the real-world dollar costs of the items, users must perform complex calculations that greatly surpass children's mathematical skills, making them susceptible to financial harm, according to the complaint. As for chat and communication on Roblox, the complaint raises concerns that these features could facilitate "predation and abuse by enabling adult contact with minors." The company gives parents control over how their children can communicate on the platform. However, Roblox's webpage on parental controls clarifies that these settings "do not apply to chat features developed independently by developers." In a statement to The Epoch Times, a Roblox spokesperson said that the company "strongly disputes" the claims made in the complaint. "Our platform is designed to provide a positive, healthy, and enjoyable experience - we build for fun and connection, not short-term engagement. While no system can be perfect, we have a set of safeguards designed to support a safe and civil environment, and clear policies for game creators that require fair treatment of players," the spokesperson said. "Most games on Roblox are free to play, and no one is required to purchase Robux. "In addition, we have clear policies prohibiting both actual and simulated gambling, and a set of rules governing how game creators can use gameplay mechanics like paid random items." Lawsuits, International Scrutiny Roblox is facing several lawsuits from states such as Iowa, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Florida, citing child safety issues. In December 2025, Iowa sued the company, accusing the platform of being the "perfect environment for child predators, pornographers, scammers, fraudsters, online sex rings, and inappropriate content." Amid growing concerns about child safety, Roblox announced age-based accounts and expanded parental controls for users under 16 on April 13. Under the policy, users aged 5 to 8 and 9 to 15 will have separate accounts subject to stricter censorship of adult content. "All content uploaded to Roblox goes through their existing moderation systems, including AI asset scanning, ongoing user report review, and multimodal moderation that evaluates scenes in real time for potential policy violations," the company said in a statement. In addition to the United States, Roblox has faced bans and scrutiny in other nations. The platform has been banned in Turkey and Iraq. Russia blocked Roblox in December 2025, accusing the platform of enabling "LGBT propaganda" and the dissemination of extremist materials. In January, the Netherlands announced opening an investigation into the platform, citing potential risks to minors. Last month, Australia issued formal notices to major gaming platforms, including Roblox, asking the companies to describe how they prevent the radicalization and grooming of children. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/24/2026 - 19:50

Child safety groups want FTC to investigate Roblox's game design

Two child safety advocacy groups are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the gaming platform Roblox, alleging the company is committing "unfair and deceptive" acts, risking kids' safety and well-being. In a complaint filed Wednesday with the FTC, Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and a host of other advocacy...

The complaint accuses the gaming platform of misleading the public about its safety and pressuring young users to spend. Roblox ‘strongly disputes’ the claims; the FTC has declined to comment. Two children’s advocacy groups, Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, asked the US Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to investigate Roblox, Reuters reported, […] This story continues at The Next Web

Groups claim game platform’s design and business model conflict with children’s developmental needsOnline child safety campaigners including Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling writer on the mental health impacts of social media, have called on the Trump administration to investigate Roblox, the booming gaming and chat platform used by 150 million people daily, including a large number of under-13s.Haidt’s Anxious Generation Movement, Fairplay and the rightwing anti-pornography National Center on Sexual Exploitation are among groups claiming Roblox’s design and business model conflict with children’s developmental needs. Continue reading...

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation and Fairplay, two advocacy groups focused on child safety, are asking the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate Roblox Corp.’s game mechanics, which they claim coerce kids into spending unreasonable amounts of money on the platform.