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Angharad Brewer Gillham

Editor

102 news posts

Social science

21 Aug 2026

The hidden high costs of ‘free-to-play’ videogames show players need better protection, scientists say

We know playing slot machines can trigger uncontrolled spending and addictive behaviors in some people. But what about paid-for features in ‘free-to-play’ games? Microtransactions like loot boxes or paid progression within a game can add up quickly and easily. In their new article in Frontiers in Public Health, Dr Markus Meschik and his colleagues investigate who spends the most among children playing these games, and how the heaviest spenders are affected, showing higher rates of traits associated with gambling disorder and gaming disorder. In this guest editorial, Meschik and coauthor Dr Mark Griffiths break down the hidden threat of microtransactions, and how regulation could tackle it.

Featured news

29 May 2026

‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say

Bans on teenagers’ social media use are gathering pace worldwide. Their proponents claim that social media bans will improve young people’s mental health, but what evidence supports these claims? In their new Frontiers in Developmental Psychology article, Dr Monika Neff Lind and her co-authors argue that there is no solid scientific evidence behind these bans, and reason to believe they could backfire. In this guest editorial, Neff Lind explains why she and her colleagues doubt that social media bans will work, and how bans should be evaluated to determine whether they have any positive effects.