Roblox should be stopped from manipulating kids

May 17, 2026 — 5:00am

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Complaining about kids being online is a bit like complaining that the water at Bondi is too wet.

Most of today’s teenagers have grown up surrounded by screens and devices since the day they were born. Online games are part of the landscape.

But today’s disturbing report on Roblox by education reporter Emily Kowal cannot be dismissed as old people yelling at the clouds.

Children are being systematically scammed by the online gaming platform and subjected to predatory practices that normalise gambling.

Compelling new research from the University of Sydney shows that elements of the platform are manipulative, and causing children harm.

Almost all the most popular games on the platform used deceptive monetisation, the research found, and almost half were non-compliant with Australian standards around payments for random items.

The findings are........

© The Age