FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 27, 2025
Ashwin Verghese
717 676 8584
[email protected]
Roblox, Fortnite harm kids with ‘virtual goods,’ new report says
As social gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite surpass social media’s popularity among kids, a new report from Fairplay using focus group data from young players shows how the pervasive marketing of virtual goods in those games exposes children to harm.
“Buying to Belong: Youth and the Allure of the Metaverse” is now available to read and download.
The report shows that platforms like Roblox and Fortnite aggressively promote virtual goods — including avatars, skins, pets, clothing and other items that players can purchase and use — pressuring kids to spend huge amounts of time and money on the games and exposing them to bullying, financial harm, and damage to their physical and mental health.
“Our focus groups show that young people face bullying and harassment if they can’t buy the coolest, most expensive virtual goods. This is not an accident,” said Rachel Franz, early childhood advocacy program director at Fairplay and co-author of the report. “Platforms like Roblox and Fortnite exploit young people’s need to belong and other developmental vulnerabilities for profit, fueling racism and homophobia along the way. Regulators must step in to protect kids on these platforms.”
Quotes from young players
The report is based in part on focus groups with players across the United States ages 9-15.
Quotes from these young people are included throughout the report, including:
- “If you have more expensive stuff, like, people are gonna treat you differently.” — 14-year-old, 6th – 8th grade focus group
- “Say they have more money than you in a game. They will … really point that out and make you feel, like, some type of way about it, like, ‘Oh, since you don’t have all this, you can’t be all that great’ or ‘You’re really bad at the game’ or something.” — 12-year-old, Black-identifying focus group
- “It’s like, and it feels kinda odd to say this, but it’s almost like class society … if you are just, like, someone who doesn’t buy anything at all, you are generally at the lowest end. And then the people who have, like, the best items that everyone wants are like the highest.” — 14-year-old, LGBTQ+ focus group
Call for regulatory action
The report notes that social gaming platforms are considered precursors to “the metaverse,” the emerging virtual environment where people can play, work and interact using VR headsets and other devices.
Looking ahead, experts predict the metaverse will be at least as popular with young people as platforms like Fortnite and Roblox are now. Estimates suggest that children will spend around 2 hours and 45 minutes per day there, totaling about 10 years of their lifetime.
That makes it all the more urgent to rein in the harms caused by virtual goods now. “Buying to Belong: Youth and the Allure of the Metaverse” calls on regulators — including the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general — to scrutinize social gaming platforms under existing consumer protection law.
The report adds that policymakers should pass privacy and safety by design legislation to address manipulative and harmful design and business practices.