The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has agreed to begin investigating loot boxes, particularly focusing on how they are impacting children.

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Per Polygon , Junior New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan questioned commissioners at the FTC during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing about loot boxes, as well as other pressing topics. The brief exchange on the matter can be found here "We discussed loot boxes, which allow in-game purchases with real currency for surprise winnings, and most of you agreed that this is an area that could use additional oversight by the FTC,” said Sen. Hassan during her questioning. "Loot boxes are now endemic in the video game industry and are present in everything from casual smart phone games to the newest high-budget video game releases."Loot boxes will represent a $50 billion industry by the year 2022 according to the latest research estimates. Children may be particularly susceptible to engaging with these in-game purchases which are often considered integral components of video games."Sen. Hassan went on to note research undertaken in Great Britain, which links potential gambling habits to the use of loot boxes, showing a concern that children may develop an addiction to this sort of behavior as a result of buying loot boxes."Given the seriousness of this issue, I think it is in fact time for the FTC to investigate these mechanisms to ensure that children are being adequately protected and to educate parents about potential addiction or other negative impacts of these games,” she said, with FTC chairman Joe Simons thereafter affirming her request, agreeing to commit to undertaking a project investigating loot boxes.This follows a report from earlier this morning, where an Australian Senate committee delivered its final report examining loot boxes in video games , recommending a “comprehensive review” of the practice.Elsewhere, countries like Belgium and the Netherlands are enforcing bans on loot boxes, while New Zealand , the UK and Ireland don’t currently consider them to fit the criteria of gambling.

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter