How Predatory Monetization Designs Manifest in Child-Friendly Video Games

Aug 21, 2026

Numerous children play video games labeled as “child-friendly,” yet predatory monetization designs within such games raise serious concerns for children’s online safety and financial wellbeing. Existing work has mapped broad predatory monetization categories, but offers limited insight into how these designs specifically appear in child-friendly titles. This paper studies Roblox, using interviews with developers and walkthrough analyses of selected games. Results show developers knowingly deploy manipulative monetization patterns that target child players, undermining financial security and digital autonomy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

Research gap and study approach

Roblox as the study site

Methods: developer interviews and game walkthroughs

How Predatory Monetization Designs Manifest in Child-Friendly Video Games Qiurong Song, Zinan Zhang, Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez, Xinning Gui, and Yubo Kou, The Pennsylvania State University [https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2025/presentation/song](https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2025/presentation/song) This paper is included in the Proceedings of the Twenty-First Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security. August 11–12, 2025 • Seattle, WA, USA ISBN 978-1-939133-51-9 Open access to the Proceedings of the Twenty-First Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security is sponsored by USENIX. How Predatory Monetization Designs Manifest in Child-Friendly Video Games Qiurong Song, Zinan Zhang, Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez, Xinning Gui, Yubo Kou The Pennsylvania State University [qiurongsong@psu.edu](qiurongsong@psu.edu), [zzinan@psu.edu](zzinan@psu.edu), [lindyhernandez@psu.edu](lindyhernandez@psu.edu), [xinninggui@psu.edu](xinninggui@psu.edu), [y](yubokou@psu.edu)[ubokou@psu.edu](yubokou@psu.edu) Abstract Numerous children play video games labeled as ‘childfriendly.’ However, the prevalence of predatory monetization designs in video games has raised safety concerns about their impact on children's online safety and financial wellbeing. While existing research has extensively examined general predatory monetization categories—such as pay-towin mechanics and loot boxes—little is known about whether and how predatory monetization designs manifest in child-friendly video games. We address this question by studying Roblox, a child-friendly game platform with an enormous child player base. We conducted two investigations: (1) an interview study exploring how Roblox game developers perceive predatory monetization designs and (2) a walkthrough study analyzing how these predatory monetization designs manifest within Roblox games. Our findings revealed that many Roblox developers are aware of and even deploy predatory monetization designs in Roblox games to exploit child players. Additionally, we identified the ways predatory monetization designs function, such as user interface (UI) design manipulations and psychological tactics, which reinforce and amplify each other to nudge players toward spending, raising serious concerns about their financial security and digital autonomy. Finally, we propose implications for ethical game design and regulation in child-friendly video games. 1. Introduction Numerous children engage with video games on platforms like Roblox, which are labeled as "child-friendly" [1] . However, these game platforms can pose serious financial risks, as numerous reports have emerged of children unknowingly spending large sums of money in games—sometimes racking up bills of thousands of dollars within days, often without parental knowledge [2–4] . Financial risks from video Copyright is held by the author/owner. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee. USENIX Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) 2025. August 10--12, 2025, Seattle, WA, USA.. games could further engender negative consequences such as addiction and mental health issue [5] . Consumer advocacy groups have criticized such predatory monetization designs used in games like Roblox, calling for stronger legal regulations [6] . Previous research on predatory monetization in video games highlighted deceptive game designs that encourage excessive spending [7,8] and reported prominent categories of predatory monetization designs such as pay-to-win 1 mechanics and loot boxes2 [7,11] . While these studies have examined the categories of predatory monetization from the perspectives of players and legal and academic experts [7,10–12], little is known about game developers’ perspectives on predatory monetization. Particularly, there remains a lack of understanding of how predatory monetization designs manifest in child-friendly video games,

FAQs

What research question does the paper address about child-friendly games?

The paper investigates whether and how predatory monetization designs manifest in child-friendly video games, focusing on Roblox.

How did the authors study developers’ perspectives?

They conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Roblox developers to understand their perception of predatory monetization practices.

What did the walkthrough study reveal about how monetization is implemented?

The walkthrough analysis found manipulative design elements such as UI manipulation, cognitive overload, obscured purchase information, and psychological tactics that encourage spending.

Aug 21, 2026

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