‘Nearly every kid had been scammed’: Inside Roblox’s predatory economy for children

Australian children are being systematically scammed on internet gaming platform Roblox, as experts warn they are exposed to predatory practices that normalise gambling.

Two world-first University of Sydney studies reveal Roblox, which is played by the majority of Australians aged between six and 13 years, exposes youth to misleading tricks that would be illegal in non-game contexts, ultimately skewing their perception of money and spending.

Roblox is a global juggernaut with 350 million monthly players, more than half of whom are under the age of 17.

While most of its millions of user-created games are free to play, they push paid upgrades, bonuses and random items. This model generates an estimated $8.04 billion annually, driven by the sale of Robux, Roblox’s virtual currency.

Leading Australian games researcher Professor Marcus Carter, who spearheaded the studies, says children’s "pocket money is going down the toilet”.

"We need to understand what’s going on in there – it’s where so many kids are spending their time and money,” he said.

To understand this monetisation, researchers gave children a $20 gift card. Half immediately converted it into Robux.

In interviews, children frequently reported not getting what they paid for, using words such as "cash grab” and "scam”. Carter said they struggled to navigate "scary” nested virtual currencies that obfuscate actual cost.

Investigating the platform’s top 15 games, Carter’s team found deceptive monetisation in 14. Tactics included "near-miss” visuals to make wins feel attainable, and countdown timers to manufacture "false urgency” prompting impulsive spending. The study, Misleading and Deceptive Monetisation in Roblox, found that these deeply embedded tactics are encouraged by Roblox Corporation.

• https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nearly-every-kid-had-been-scammed-inside-roblox-s-predatory-economy-for-children-20260415-p5zo32.html