‘Literally just child gambling’: what kids say about Roblox, lootboxes and money in online games

By Taylor Hardwick, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney
Marcus Carter, Professor in Human-Computer Interaction, ARC Future Fellow, University of Sydney

Roblox is one of the world’s most popular online platforms for children, offering a variety of “experiences” including games and virtual spaces. Most of the experiences are free, but offer upgrades, bonuses and random items in exchange for cash.

What do kids make of it? In new research, we interviewed 22 children aged seven to 14 (and their parents) from November 2023 to July 2024. Some 18 of the 22 played Roblox.

In the interviews, we gave children an A$20 debit card to spend however they liked, to…

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