Online safety organizations have filed a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), asking the agency to formally assess Roblox's alleged risks to children. The Request for Investigation, submitted by child safety nonprofit Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), argues that Roblox's design features and advertising violate portions of the FTC Act in ways that endanger minor users."The FTC has the authority to stop Roblox from raking in billions of dollars in profit every year at the expense of our children’s safety and healthy development. We call on the commission to investigate Roblox’s unfair trade practices and acts, and to scrutinize the platform’s compliance with children’s online privacy law," Fairplay policy counsel Haley Hinkle wrote in a press release.
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The organizations claim the platform is specifically violating Section 5 of the FTC Act, the federal regulation that prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, including false advertising. The letter urges the agency to investigate Roblox's marketing of virtual currency (Robux), its chat and communication tools, and its use of "engagement-maximizing design features" as unfair conduct under Section 5. It argues that Roblox's representation of platform safety features and the developmental appropriateness of Roblox activities is deceptive.
