The American non-profit organization ParentsTogether has called on the creators of Roblox to stop “luring children” into a game where they “spend thousands of dollars to buy rare items.” According to the parents, the business model of the project is similar to a casino, and its users are subjected to “financial exploitation”.An appeal to the parents and creators of Roblox appeared on the official ParentsTogether website.
The organization is sure that the level of expenses in the game is “comparable to a casino.” That is why it requires developers to implement a system that would protect children from uncontrolled spending of money.
“The fact that this continues to happen to many families means that this is not just a system error, but a Roblox business model,“ ParentsTogether representatives are sure.
According to the organization, Roblox poses a danger to children for the following reasons:
- Due to the free distribution model, many parents do not understand that children can pay for in-game items with bank cards in Roblox. At the same time, the children themselves do not realize the value of real money and think that they are simply paying with virtual “robucks”;There are scammers in Roblox who cheat children out of expensive in-game items in popular games like Adopt Me.
- To do this, they pretend to be famous YouTubers, borrow items or promise to pay their cost, but after that they do not get in touch;not all children have rare and expensive items that their peers brag about.
- Because of this, some children feel inferior. This exerts social pressure, forcing parents to ask them to buy;even without linking the card directly to the account in Roblox, children can buy items through third-party services like PayPal, Amazon and Windows Store.
- ParentsTogether cites several real-life stories as an example.
One man said that his 10-year-old daughter spent $7,200 in the game during quarantine for two months. Another woman told how her son spent $1,250 to buy in-game items that he gave to other users in order to make friends.
Not all parents immediately notice that their children spend serious amounts in Roblox. For example, a 72-year-old man was shocked when $5,000 was debited from his account. Everything turned out to be simple: after the first purchase in the game, his daughter continued to pay for items from the card. At the same time, she thought she was just playing with “Monopoly money.”
ParentsTogether believes that the Roblox business model is not transparent enough even for technology-savvy parents. “Players simply should not have the opportunity to spend several thousand dollars in a few days,” the organization said and urged parents to always check the settings related to parental control and online purchases.