Safety groups are suing for answers. Specifically, they want the FTC to step in.
Fairplay and NCOSE just sent a letter. It asks regulators to investigate how Roblox treats its youngest users. They say the platform breaks the FTC Act. The design choices endanger kids, they claim. Not just a little bit. They argue it happens by design.
Haley Hinkle, a policy counsel for Fairplay, wasn’t soft about it. She said Roblox makes billions on the back of unsafe kids. She wants the commission to look at the trade practices. She also wants a look at their privacy compliance.
Section 5 of the FTC Act is the main weapon here. It bans deceptive acts. The letter points to three specific targets:
- Virtual currency (Robux)
- Chat tools that might leak too much
- “Engagement-maximizing” designs
They call the marketing of Robux deceptive. They say Roblox promises safety it doesn’t actually provide. Then there is COPPA. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The letter claims Roblox gathers “a substantial amount of data.” This data links directly to player usernames. It tracks them.
“Despite our warnings… Roblox refused to make changes… only recently making some design changes.”
Haley McNamara from NCOSE says it is a pattern. A history of harm. She argues Roblox doesn’t care enough. Now they need federal oversight. Other groups signed the letter. ParentsSOS is there. The Anxious Generation Movement is there. The Consumer Federation of America backed it.
Roblox pushes back hard.
They deny all this. A spokesperson told Mashable their platform is built for fun, not just engagement. They say most games are free. Nobody has to buy Robux.
Check the math. In early 2026. They had 132 million active users per day. Only 1.4% were paying. That is a small slice. They also point to rules against gambling. Both real and simulated. They claim they have safeguards. Civil environment rules exist for creators.
Is 1.4% too low to matter?
Legal trouble keeps mounting regardless of the percentages. In 2023 a class-action suit started. Families claimed kids saw bad stuff. Inappropriate content. They sued for negligent misrepresentation. People called Roblox an enabler for predators. The criticism grew loud.
2025 got worse. Louisiana filed suit. They accused Roblox of failing to stop CSAM (child sexual abuse materials). Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, joined in November. He said Roblox ignored safety laws. He said they lied to parents.
Paxton has been busy lately. He is now looking at Netflix too. Data collection habits bother him. The net is widening.
Roblox says no one is forced to pay. Critics say the trap is set anyway. The debate continues. The regulators have the ball. Whether they run with it remains to be seen.
