Hey there! It's Talk About Money Tuesday, my favorite day of the week!🤑
For many kids, school is already out for the year. And with that shift comes more free time, more screen time, and more opportunities to spend money in virtual worlds.
Whether it's Robux in Roblox, V-Bucks in Fortnite, or Minecoins in Minecraft, many young people are making purchasing decisions every day without fully understanding the link between digital currency and real dollars.
Gaming platforms, such as Roblox, have faced increased scrutiny over issues that include in-game spending practices and child safety. But whatever a family's comfort level, these platforms provide opportunities to teach kids some valuable financial literacy skills.
How to evaluate value (is that Fortnite skin really worth $400?) and make trade-offs are skills that will serve them well long after they've logged off.
Money Stat
$4.9 billion
Every kid isn't a Roblox player, but millions of them are. According to the company's latest year-end financial data, Roblox generated $4.9 billion in revenue in 2025.
Let's just say, that's a lot of in-game spending.
The company said its paying users spend an average of $20.18 a month, while in-game spending increased 53%. All of this is just a reminder that when kids spend money while gaming, they're participating in a real marketplace — even if the items they're buying only exist on a screen.
Roblox's annual revenue underscores that virtual economies aren't a niche aspect of childhood. They're a major part of how young people interact with money.
Money in the News
The news: Two child advocacy groups recently asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Roblox. They say certain aspects of Roblox's virtual currency system and game design encourage young players to spend excessively. Roblox disputes the claims.
What it means for young people: Every day, millions of youth make decisions about whether a digital item, an upgrade, or an avatar is worth buying. The challenge is they often spend virtual currency without understanding the equivalent dollar value.
Tips for parents & mentors: Help your kids calculate the real-world price of their last three purchases so they can better determine whether what they bought was worth it.
Talk about why game companies use virtual currencies instead of showing prices in dollars. This can open the door to a broader conversation about how companies influence what people buy.
Compare a virtual purchase to something tangible they could buy with the same amount of money. Doing this helps kids see that every dollar spent on one thing, can't be spent on something else.
Know a school, college, or organization that could use help talking to young people about how money works in the real world? Send them my way!
Smart Money Quiz
Which financial literacy skill is most directly strengthened when a child converts virtual currency into its real-dollar equivalent before making a purchase?
A. Brand awareness
B. Opportunity cost awareness
C. Saving consistently
D. Comparison shopping
(The answer is at the end of this newsletter.)
Get in the Zone
Money skill: How to pause before spending
Why it matters: Delayed gratification helps kids distinguish between impulse buys and purchasing they actually value. Gaming purchases create the chance to practice this skill since kids are frequently tempted to spend while playing.
Try this: Here are some things you can do to help young people reduce emotional in-game spending and focus on thoughtful decision-making instead:
➡️ Require a 24-hour waiting period for larger digital purchases. Time helps separate real interest from impulse. If your child still wants the item the next day, discuss whether it's worth the cost rather than automatically saying yes or no.
➡️ Create a wishlist instead of buying right away. Saving items for later gives kids time to think. After a few days, some purchases might lose their appeal.
➡️ Encourage your kids to rank purchases from most wanted to least wanted. Prioritizing helps young people practice making trade-offs when money is limited.
➡️ Review past purchases together. Talk about which purchases felt worthwhile and which didn't. Reflection fuels better judgment over time.
What if waiting 24 hours doesn't change their mind? Well, that's okay. The goal isn't to eliminate spending. You just want to make spending more intentional.
If the purchase still fits their budget and priorities after the waiting period, it may be a worthwhile choice. If not, use it as an opportunity to discuss trade-offs and alternatives.
Loose Change
💼 After playing Roblox games for five years, an 8-year-old boy debuted his own creation on the platform and now gets paid for every user that plays.
💳 A Canadian boy used his grandma's credit card, without her permission, to pay for $2,000 in Roblox charges.
🕹️I always say that video games were better back in the day, and these experts agree with me.
Thanks for reading! If you want to read some of my past newsletters, click here. And if this newsletter was forwarded to you, please subscribe here.
'Til next time,
Audrey
Founder &
Certified Financial Education Instructor
The FinLit Zone
ANSWER
B. Opportunity cost awareness. When kids calculate the dollar value of a virtual purchase, they can see what they're giving up by spending that money. That's the core of opportunity cost, a powerful money concept that can keep impulse spending at bay.
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