Advocacy Groups Seek FTC Probe Into Roblox for Kid Spending

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.

Roblox, a gaming platform that’s particularly popular with younger players, is violating rules designed to protect consumers by unfairly marketing virtual currencies and items to children and using “engagement-maximizing design features,” according to a letter the groups planned to send to the FTC on Wednesday.

The platform obfuscates the exchange rate between cash and the virtual ...