<
https://theconversation.com/literally-just-child-gambling-what-kids-say-about-roblox-lootboxes-and-money-in-online-games-250387>
"
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 help us understand children’s decision-making around spending. While
four children purchased non-digital items with their debit card (such as
bicycle parts, toys and lollies), 12 children made purchases in
Roblox.
We found children greatly value their
Roblox purchases – but complain of
“scary” and complex transactions, describe random reward systems as “child
gambling”, and talk of “scams” and “cash grabs”, with the platform’s inflexible
refund policy providing little recourse."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
