Meta and Activision are being sued by the parents of children killed in last year's school shooting

By: Vlad Cherevko | 26.05.2024, 17:35
Meta and Activision are being sued by the parents of children killed in last year's school shooting

In connection with the tragic incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the families of the victims have filed a lawsuit against the publisher of the Call of Duty game, Activision, and the social platform Meta. According to them, these companies contributed to the aggravation of aggressive tendencies of the shooter, giving him access to weapons through the virtual world and social networks.

Here's What We Know

The plaintiffs allege that the shooter was influenced by the game Call of Duty, which used a model of assault rifle manufactured by Daniel Defence. It is also noted that he frequented Instagram, where products from this gun brand were advertised. The lawsuit states that Instagram provided gunmakers with an uncontrolled channel to communicate directly with minors.

The shooter was reportedly a poor and isolated teenager from a small town in Texas who only learned about and targeted AR-15s because he became familiar with the guns by playing Call of Duty and visiting Instagram.

The plaintiffs' attorney, Josh Koskoff, expressed that without Instagram, Daniel Defense would not have been able to get the word out about the AR-15 so easily to the teen. He said Call of Duty creates a "dopamine loop from virtually killing a person." Koskoff also represented families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, where a $73 million settlement was reached with rifle maker Remington.

An Activision spokesperson expressed condolences to the victims' families, stressing that millions of people around the world play video games and do not resort to violence.

Source: The Washington Post