A B.C. boy is suing the makers of a popular online gaming platform, claiming the website is designed to addict children.
The proposed class action lawsuit is on behalf of a 12-year-old boy who is only referred to as DJ because of his age.
The lawsuit says the plaintiff started playing Roblox at age five or six and began showing signs of addiction shortly after that.
The lawsuit alleges the site uses tactics such as prompting users to spend its online currency to create their own content, causing impulsive spending and an increased risk of addiction and displaying addictive behaviour leading to anxiety, depression and other symptoms.
The notice of claim alleges the defendants designed Roblox with the core goal of maximizing user engagement, play duration, and in-game expenditure.
It also alleges that the defendants did so without taking adequate steps to limit the impact on users arising from the harmful design elements.
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Video game addiction has been listed as a disease by the World Health Organization since 2018.
“We’ve had obviously people who’ve been detrimentally impacted by gambling, and so these games themselves resemble aspects of that, and so that’s where parents have to take a leading step forward,” Jesse Miller, a social media expert with mediatedreality.com told Global News.
“Not just through our court systems, but before our kids have actually signed up to these experiences, and ask what is too much, what are our values for our family, and where should our concerns be as we move forward.”
Roblox has faced a number of legal challenges in the United States.
There have been several lawsuits alleging addictive in-game play as well as allegations of inadequate protection against child predators.
In B.C., the civil claim is being filed as a class action, potentially opening up the door to further plaintiffs joining in.
The class action still needs to be certified.
Roblox did not respond to requests for information.
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