Two advocacy organizations focused on children’s welfare have formally requested that federal trade regulators examine the popular gaming platform Roblox, alleging the company employs misleading safety claims and manipulative spending tactics targeting young users.
Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation submitted their petition to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday, requesting an investigation into potential violations of the Federal Trade Act’s section 5, which bars deceptive or unfair business practices in commerce.
In their formal request, the organizations claim Roblox misleads families regarding platform safety measures while using manipulative tactics to pressure children into making purchases for premium gaming features and special access.
This petition arrives amid growing global concerns about the gaming company’s practices. Roblox currently faces more than 140 federal court cases alleging the platform knowingly enables sexual exploitation of children by creating a system that allows predators to identify and communicate with minors despite marketing itself as child-friendly.
A company representative said Roblox “strongly disputes” the allegations outlined in the advocacy groups’ letter. The spokesperson noted that the platform mandates age verification for U.S. users before enabling chat functions and restricts minor users to communicating only with peers in similar age ranges.
When contacted for response, a Federal Trade Commission representative declined to provide comment on the matter.
