Campaigners Push FTC to Probe Roblox Over Child Safety Amid $4.9 bn Revenue

TL;DR: Campaigners allege Roblox’s safety claims are false and urge the FTC to act, pointing to a user base where 40% are under 13 and $4.9 bn in annual revenue.

Roblox, a gaming and chat platform with 150 million daily users, faces a formal complaint from a coalition of child‑safety advocates. The group, which includes Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation Movement, Fairplay and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, filed a dossier with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week. They argue that Roblox’s design encourages excessive engagement and exposes children to sexual content and predatory adults.

Key facts underpin the complaint. Forty percent of Roblox’s daily users are younger than 13, translating to over 30 million children logging in each day. The platform’s revenue jumped 36% to $4.9 bn last year, driven largely by sales of its virtual currency, Robux. Game creators collectively earned $1.5 bn from those sales.

Haley Hinkle, Fairplay’s policy counsel, said the filing shows Roblox’s safety promises are “simply not true.” She urged the FTC to investigate “unfair trade practices” that profit from children’s limited impulse control. The complaint also cites recent changes to text and voice chat that, despite new age‑verification tools, still allow adult‑child contact.

Roblox counters that its environment is “positive, healthy and enjoyable.” A spokesperson highlighted safeguards such as default‑off chat for users under nine and voice‑chat limited to age‑verified players 13 or older. The company notes that only 1.4% of its users made purchases in the first quarter of 2026, suggesting limited monetisation of the youngest cohort.

The FTC, chaired by Andrew Ferguson, has previously warned that big‑tech platforms exploit children’s attention. A recent California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for harmful design practices, and Congress is considering stricter online‑child protections. The Roblox case adds to growing regulatory pressure on platforms that generate billions while catering to minors.

If the FTC opens an investigation, Roblox could face restrictions on its monetisation model, mandatory age‑verification upgrades, or penalties for violating children’s online privacy law. The outcome may set a precedent for how interactive gaming ecosystems are regulated.

What to watch: The FTC’s response timeline, potential legislative moves in Washington, and any changes Roblox makes to its chat and purchasing systems in the coming months.