Child safety groups urge the FTC to investigate Roblox over deceptive practices

A complaint alleges Roblox exploits children through manipulative virtual currency, addictive design features, and chat systems that enable predatory contact

By Colleen Cabili3 min readUpdated May 20, 2026

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Child safety groups urge the FTC to investigate Roblox over deceptive practices

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Two child advocacy organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday asking the agency to investigate Roblox $RBLX for practices they say exploit children for profit and expose them to harm. Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation submitted the request, which alleges Roblox is violating Section 5 of the FTC Act through unfair and deceptive practices and calls on the commission to examine the platform's compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, according to Fortune.

According to the filing, Roblox is accused on two fronts: misleading parents and the public about how safe the platform actually is, and using unfair tactics to push young users toward spending money to unlock in-game advantages. The filing also asks the FTC to scrutinize Roblox's virtual currency system, which the groups say obscures real-world costs from children. Access to in-game items requires users to first acquire Robux, a virtual currency proprietary to Roblox. Adding to the confusion, the dollar value of Robux shifts over time, and individual games frequently introduce additional layers of in-game currency on top of Robux, according to Bloomberg. Roblox does not allow users to convert Robux back into dollars.

Among the examples cited in the filing are parents who found their children had racked up thousands of dollars in charges without realizing real money was involved, according to Fortune. The document also takes aim at specific platform features — artificial scarcity tactics that drive urgency around virtual goods with no actual production cost, and chance-based spending mechanics like loot boxes — which the groups argue are deliberately calibrated to drive up both time on the platform and money spent.

The complaint also accuses Roblox of failing to prevent predatory contact between adults and children. When Fairplay researchers ran tests in February 2026 using accounts set up as belonging to children under 13, they were exposed to sexual language and racial slurs shortly after initiating conversations with other users, according to Fortune. The filing includes the account of Heather Lindquist, whose 15-year-old son Bodhi was allegedly groomed by predators on the platform before his death in December. "The parental controls on Roblox did not protect my son," Lindquist said, according to Fortune.

Roblox "strongly disputes" the claims. "Our platform is designed to provide a positive, healthy and enjoyable experience — we build for fun and connection, not short-term engagement," a company spokesperson said. The company also pointed to data showing that paying users represented just 1.4% of its 132 million daily active users in the first quarter of 2026. Children under 13 make up an estimated 40% of Roblox's user base, which exceeds 130 million daily active users, according to the company's own figures. An FTC spokesperson declined to comment, according to Reuters.

A broad coalition is backing the complaint, including Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation Movement, the Consumer Federation of America, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

The FTC complaint adds to mounting legal pressure on Roblox. In federal courts across the country, Roblox faces a docket of more than 140 active lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who allege the platform was built and marketed to minors in ways that left children exposed to predatory contact, according to The Next Web. State-level legal action has also accumulated, with the top prosecutors in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Arkansas each bringing their own suits over the company's handling of child safety. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed his own lawsuit against Roblox earlier this month, accusing the company of placing profit over child safety and deceiving parents about the risks children face on the platform. Roblox announced in April that it would introduce age-based account tiers for users under 16, with a global rollout set for early June, and has said it plans to require age checks before users can access chat functions.

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