US watchdog FTC urged to probe Roblox over child safety and spending claims

Children as young as five are at risk of being contacted by strangers and pressured into spending money on Roblox, campaigners have claimed in a complaint to US regulators. Advocacy groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the hugely popular gaming platform for alleged "unfair and deceptive" practices. The filing raised concerns about in-game purchases, chat features and what it described as "engagement-maximising" design. Roblox rejected the claims, saying the platform was "built for fun and connection, not short-term engagement". A spokesperson said it had "clear policies" banning actual and simulated gambling, as well as rules governing paid random items. They said most games were free to play and users are not required to buy the in-game currency Robux. "In the first quarter of 2026, only 1.4% of our 132 million daily active users were payers on the platform," they added. After being accused of failing to protect its child users, Roblox has looked to resolve such concerns by blocking children from chatting to adults and using age-estimation tech to place them in age-appropriate accounts. However, some campaigners and parents remain worried about the t