Texas leader calls for Roblox investigation over school shooting games

After discovering simulations of the 2022 Robb Elementary and other school shootings being available on Roblox, a Texas leader is calling for the state lawmakers to strengthen child protection laws on online gaming platforms.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on Monday evening, April 20, directed a Texas House Committee to investigate how online games expose minors to violent, sexual, and predatory content and how the state can address it.

"After Rep. Don McLaughlin of Uvalde brought to my attention a Roblox first-person shooter game simulating the tragedy at Robb Elementary in graphic detail, it became clear this content — and the failure to stop it — demands immediate action," Burrows said in a statement. "Turning an unspeakable act of violence, whose scars remain across the Uvalde community, into entertainment is a profound moral failure."

Burrows demanded that platforms like Roblox — noting that it sees nearly 40% of Roblox's 144 million daily users are under the age of 13 — be held accountable and directed the committee to look at the following:

• See whether a platform's safety features for kids — like parent controls and chat filters — work and whether it prioritizes user experience over safety.
• Examine Texas laws on age verification and parental consent, and consider their applicability to gaming platforms.
• Assess the potential civil and criminal liability of third-party content developers for harm to minors.
• Make recommendations for legislative and regulatory action to protect minors from exploitation on the platforms.

The Texas House Speaker also directed lawmakers to assess how far gaming platforms are shielded from lawsuits by the First Amendment and federal laws, particularly Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

For context, Roblox is an online platform where people can play and build their own games.

In a statement to the Texas Tribune, Rep. McLaughlin — who represents Uvalde — condemned the Roblox simulation.

"Turning the murder of innocent children and teachers into virtual content is beyond sick, and the fact that this kind of material can exist on a platform used by millions of kids is a staggering failure," McLaughlin said to the Texas Tribune.

But Robb Elementary wasn't the only mass shooting simulation found on Roblox. In a screenshot provided by the Texas speaker's office, it could also be seen that Roblox houses simulations of the 1999 Columbine and the 2018 Parkland school shooting events.

Roblox responds to Texas investigation

In a statement to USA TODAY, Roblox's Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said that any glorification of the Robb Elementary School shooting concerned the company and that behaviors which promote "violent extremism and depictions of sensitive real-world events are against our policies."

"The content referenced by the Texas Speaker of the House has been removed and any users who upload such content are immediately banned from our platform upon detection," read Kaufman's statement.

Roblox also stated that it has built a multi-layered safety system that includes AI-powered detection, monitoring teams, 24/7 moderation, and user reporting tools.

The Kaufman also said the platforms also conduct mandatory age checks, with younger users restricted to chatting with peers by default and chat functions disabled for those under nine.

The company has introduced two new account types – Roblox Kids and Roblox Select – that are designed to limit users under 16 to an age-appropriate set of experiences. 

"We take immediate action when we detect violations of our standards and work closely with law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable. While no system can be perfect, we work around the clock to enhance our safety measures,” concluded Kaufman's statement.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him: [email protected].