Loot boxes in online games are facing renewed political pressure in the European Union after a Danish survey found that more than half of children aged 11 to 16 had bought the randomised digital items. Danish Social Democratic MEP Christel Schaldemose says the findings show that parents are being left to face some of the world’s largest gaming and technology companies alone, and is calling for clear EU rules — preferably a ban.
A Danish survey puts children’s gaming purchases under scrutiny
The new survey, carried out by the Center for Digital Pædagogik and UNICEF Denmark, is based on answers from 1,785 children and young people aged 11 to 16 across Denmark. It found that 52 percent had spent money on loot boxes, a form of paid randomised content used in popular games.
Loot boxes work like a digital mystery package. Players pay before knowing exactly what they will receive. The reward can include cosmetic items such as skins, in-game weapons, armour, abilities or virtual currency. The model has become common in parts of the gaming industry, including titles and platforms such as Roblox, Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2 and EA Sports FC.
The Danish figures suggest that the mechanism is not marginal among young players. According to the survey, 65 percent of boys and 38 percent of girls said they had bought loot boxes. Roblox was the game most often mentioned by respondents who had purchased them, followed by Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2 and EA Sports FC.
The reasons children gave for buying loot boxes also show why regulators see them as more than a simple entertainment feature. Forty-six percent said they bought them to obtain “cool skins”, while 40 percent said they did so because it was fun. But 33 percent said they bought loot boxes in the hope of winning a valuable prize, and 34 percent said opening one made them want to buy another.
That last figure is politically important. It points to the repeat-purchase logic at the centre of the debate: children pay for a chance-based reward, receive an uncertain outcome, and may immediately feel pushed towards another purchase.
Schaldemose says loot boxes resemble a digital casino
For Christel Schaldemose, the Danish MEP behind the European Parliament’s recent work on protecting minors online, the survey strengthens the case for EU action.
In a written comment to DR, Schaldemose said parents should not continue to carry the burden alone. She argued that families are facing companies that have built business models around keeping children online for longer, making them click more and encouraging repeated payments.
Schaldemose said she would take the Danish findings directly to European Commissioner Michael McGrath, who is responsible for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection. Her preferred solution is a clear ban on loot boxes.
“Children must be able to play, enjoy themselves and be part of digital communities without being pressured to spend more money through designs that resemble a digital casino,” she told DR.
The comparison with gambling is central to the political argument. Loot boxes do not always fall under gambling law, because the rewards are usually digital and the legal status of their value can vary. But the mechanism often includes chance, anticipation, scarcity and the possibility of receiving a rare or valuable item. For children, those elements can make the difference between play and commercial pressure difficult to recognise.
The EU already treats loot boxes as a consumer protection issue
The European Commission has already warned that loot boxes must comply with EU consumer protection rules. In 2022, the EU executive wrote to the main European organisations representing game developers and publishers, reminding them that paid randomised content must respect obligations under the Consumer Rights Directive and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.
That means companies must provide clear information on the price and main characteristics of a purchase. The Commission has also stated that games should not be promoted as “free” unless they are free in their entirety, and that games must not directly encourage children to buy paid add-ons such as loot boxes.
The issue has also moved through the European Parliament. In 2025, MEPs backed stronger safeguards for minors online and called for addictive design, dark patterns, influencer marketing and loot boxes to be addressed under the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act. Schaldemose, as rapporteur, framed the debate as one about safety by design and stronger protection for children in digital services.
A ban is not the only option under discussion. According to Schaldemose’s office, the Commission could consider several approaches, including a direct prohibition or a model in which loot boxes are disabled by default and must be actively enabled before they can be accessed.
That distinction matters. A default-off model would still allow the feature to exist, but would shift responsibility towards platforms and game providers, rather than placing the burden mainly on parents and children. A ban would be simpler to enforce in games accessible to minors, but could face stronger resistance from the gaming industry.
Consumer groups say in-game spending hides the real cost
The Danish debate fits into a wider European concern about in-game monetisation. In 2024, the European Consumer Organisation, BEUC, and consumer groups from 17 countries filed a complaint with EU authorities against major video game companies, arguing that some in-game currency systems make it difficult for players to understand the real cost of digital items.
BEUC said children are particularly vulnerable because they often have limited financial literacy and because virtual currencies can obscure how much real money is being spent. The organisation has called for clearer prices in real currency and stronger enforcement of existing consumer law in the gaming sector.
Loot boxes are part of that broader ecosystem. Even when the purchase is small, the combination of virtual currency, random rewards and repeated prompts can make spending less visible. For younger players, the pressure can also be social. Skins and rare items are not only digital objects; they can become markers of status inside gaming communities.
The Danish survey reflects that dynamic. One child quoted in the report said they tried not to buy loot boxes or skins because they saw them as a waste of money, but sometimes felt mocked for not having the newest items. That kind of peer pressure makes the issue harder to solve only through parental supervision.
