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A new UK research project will examine how loot boxes and other gambling like video game systems affect children, with a focus on younger players and neurodivergent children.
Good to know
- Dr. Calum Hartley of Lancaster University received more than $1.2 million for the study.
- The three year project will work with YGam, Internet Matters and ADHD UK.
- Over 90% of UK children aged 5 to 11 play video games, while one in three buy in game items.
Research Arrives As Regulators Look At Child Gambling Risk
Loot boxes sit in a difficult space between gaming, spending and chance based rewards. Lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe already face pressure to treat them more like gambling products when children can access them.
The new Lancaster University project could add evidence to that debate. Dr. Calum Hartley will study how elementary school children engage with loot boxes, how that engagement develops and which groups face higher risk.
“Coercive pressure is exerted on children to engage with microtransactions through time-limited availability, rarity, and social desirability of virtual items,” said Dr. Hartley in an announcement revealing the funding.
He also pointed to neurodivergent children as a key concern.
“Crucially, loot boxes share psychological and mechanistic similarities with gambling and are concurrently linked with mental health difficulties in adolescents. The risks posed by loot boxes may be particularly great for neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD and autism, who often spend more time playing video games than neurotypical peers.”
Gaming Companies Could Face More Legal And Policy Risk
The study lands while gaming companies face more legal pressure over loot boxes and microtransactions. Valve already faces lawsuits claiming loot boxes encourage addictive play and expose minors to gambling like behavior.
In the UK, children aged 5 to 11 spend an average of £26 ($35) per month on in game items when they make purchases. That makes loot boxes a consumer protection issue as well as a child development issue.
Dr. Hartley said the project aims to give families and policymakers clearer evidence.
“Generating this knowledge is vital to safeguard children and promote digital literacy for families navigating increasingly commercialized gaming environments,” Dr. Hartley added.
“The results of this research will inform the development of resources to support healthy engagement with video games by children and caregivers and, potentially, evidence-based policy recommendations calling for stricter regulation of loot boxes targeting children.”
In the U.S., lawmakers have also linked youth gambling concerns to digital products. The New York Senate passed the No Gambling Ads For Kids Act, while Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill to block gambling platforms on school campuses.
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