The Kamloops minor’s father filed the class-action claim in B.C. Supreme Court against Roblox Corp. and Roblox Canada Inc. last week on his child’s behalf, as first reported by CBC News.
“Roblox is designed and operates with structural features and gameplay mechanics that are recognized to be addictive, manipulative and financially exploitative,” alleged the filing, dated Sept. 18 and viewed by Canadian Gaming Business.
Roblox allows its users to create games for themselves and other users to play via Roblox Studio. Essentially a metaverse, it hosts a vast range of user-created games with various age limits. Players have virtual avatars and can chat with and connect with each other, among other options outside of the in-world games themselves. As of February 2025, the company claimed the platform has an average of 85 million daily active users.
Signs of addiction at a young age
The filing stated that the child has played Roblox since age five or six and now spends around two hours a day on it, using various technology platforms to do so.
The child, identified throughout the document as D.J., “exhibited signs of addiction” shortly after they first began playing the game at a young age, added the claim.
“Symptoms include but are not limited to anxiety, depression, irritability and mood swings, impaired concentration and memory, emotional instability, anti-social behaviour, loss of interest in other activities, fatigue and low energy, inappropriate behaviour and language and decreased social skills.”
The suit asserts that Roblox, with its supposed deliberately addictive design, targets children as a core demographic and that 40% of its users are 12 or younger.
While Roblox is free-to-play, players can buy and sell using the in-world Robux virtual currency, which can also be purchased with and exchanged for real-world money in some cases. There’s also a monthly subscription service, Roblox Premium, which offers registrants a monthly supply of Robux, discounts on purchasing items, more Robux per purchase, and the ability to trade limited items.
The class-action filing claims that D.J. has spent up to $500 purchasing Robux.
“Roblox does not simply allow microtransactions; it actively equips and incentivizes game creators with tools and monetization systems designed to drive increased spending by users.”
‘Functionally equivalent to gambling’
The lawsuit also took issue with the use of game mechanics like spin-the-wheel contests and mystery boxes. “These chance-based merchandising systems are functionally equivalent to gambling in that they exploit psychological vulnerabilities by leveraging randomized reward structures,” added the lawsuit.
It added that the in-game marketplace encourages speculative trading among minors who lack the financial and cognitive maturity to understand the risks associated with such transactions.
Ultimately, the plaintiffs argued that Roblox’s “harmful design elements” put its users, particularly those underage, at risk of developing recognized addictive gaming disorders. D.J. and his father filed on behalf of all Canadians who claim to be addicted to Roblox and all minors who’ve paid to join Roblox Premium, seeking damages and restrictions on Roblox’s marketing and operation in Canada.
The lawsuit’s claims need to be certified by a judge before it can proceed. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 3.
“The question the court will ultimately have to decide is whether Roblox engaged in deceptive behavior that prevented users, children and their parents from understanding the risk that could befall users of Roblox, if it is found that Roblox was created in such a way that allowed users and children to become addicted to the platform,” Justin Giovannetti, a lawyer for Slater Vecchio LLP, which helped with the suit, told CBC.
Roblox asks California judge to toss another lawsuit
Roblox has faced legal challenges in the U.S., including one in California that the company asked a federal judge to throw out on Sept. 18, the same day the B.C. suit was filed. That suit alleged that Roblox facilitated gambling by children using its Robux in-house currency in virtual casinos created in the game’s metaverse and operated by third parties.
The California plaintiff claimed that Roblox knowingly allowed those third parties to accept wagers using Robux and charged a 30% fee to convert Robux used in the virtual casinos back into dollars.