Amsterdam, January 30, 2026, 14:39 CET
The Netherlands’ consumer protection regulator, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), has opened an investigation into U.S. gaming platform Roblox over potential risks to underage users in the European Union, it said on Friday. The watchdog is examining whether Roblox is taking adequate steps to protect minors under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). (Reuters)
The case lands as European regulators start leaning harder on the DSA, the EU’s rulebook for online platforms that sets out duties on issues including child safety. Under the law’s enforcement framework, authorities can order changes and impose fines that can reach 6% of a provider’s global annual turnover in serious cases. (Europa)
Roblox’s mix of user-made games, chat and virtual worlds has made it popular with children, and it has repeatedly drawn concerns about violent or sexual content appearing in games, as well as scammers who try to extract money or sexual material via chats, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported. The Dutch interior ministry said in October it was still analysing safety risks and the impact of online platforms on children, NOS added. (Nos)
ACM will look at whether Roblox does enough to protect minors from sexually themed games and “bad actors”, and whether it uses so-called dark patterns — design tricks that steer users into spending more — RTL Nieuws reported, citing the watchdog. “Sex, violence and hate,” media education expert Harry Hol told RTL, arguing that user-created games are not fully moderated. (Rtl)
DutchNews.nl said the investigation could take up to a year and could end with a fine or a binding instruction requiring Roblox to make specific changes. The regulator has made protecting minors from online abuse and deception a priority, the outlet reported. (Dutchnews)
Roblox said it has been in contact with ACM for months and described compliance with the DSA as “one of our highest priorities.” “The safety of our users … comes first,” the company said in a statement carried by Dutch consumer programme Kassa, pointing to recently introduced age checks for users who want to use chat functions. (BNNVARA)
The company has also pointed to plans to require facial recognition-based age verification to limit communication between children and adults, The Straits Times reported. Roblox has faced criticism and multiple lawsuits in the United States over child safety, the newspaper added. (The Straits Times)
ACM is listed as the Netherlands’ Digital Services Coordinator, the national authority tasked with supervising and enforcing the DSA in the country, according to the European Commission’s register. The Commission says such coordinators can request access to data, order inspections and impose fines on providers in their territory. (Europa)
But the outcome is not pre-set. The DSA’s test of “appropriate and proportionate” safeguards leaves room for argument, especially on a platform built around user-generated content and in-game purchases, where bad material can pop up faster than it can be flagged. Roblox could persuade regulators its current controls are enough — or be pushed into deeper design changes that bite into features that keep players coming back.
