In the wake of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the victims' families have filed lawsuits against tech giants Activision and Meta, as well as gun manufacturer Daniel Defense.
These lawsuits asserted that these companies contributed to an environment that facilitated the tragic event.
(Photo : Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)
Activision, Meta Face Legal Battle Over Uvalde Shooting
The families of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas, have filed lawsuits against Activision, Meta, and gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. These lawsuits are being led by attorney Josh Koskoff, who previously secured a settlement from Remington for the families affected by the Sandy Hook shooting.
TechCrunch reported that the legal action accused the tech companies of collaborating with the firearms industry over the past 15 years in a marketing scheme that allegedly surpasses the controversial Joe Camel campaign in terms of harm.
The lawsuit explicitly targets Activision's "Call of Duty" video game franchise, describing it as a sophisticated marketing tool that has contributed to cultivating a young consumer base for the AR-15 assault rifle.
The suit also criticized Instagram, owned by Meta, alleging that the platform deliberately enforces weak, easily bypassed regulations that purportedly ban firearm advertising, which, in reality, serve as a guide for the gun industry.
The lawsuit alleged that the Uvalde shooter was a "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" player and was exposed to Daniel Defense's advertisements on Instagram. Although Meta bans gun sales on its platforms, gun sellers are given 10 violations before being removed.
The lawsuit claimed that the defendants were exploiting alienated teenage boys, turning them into mass shooters. Activision conveyed its deepest sympathies to the families and communities affected by this tragic event.
However, the company asserted that academic and scientific research consistently finds no causal relationship between video games and gun violence.
Debunking the Video Game Violence Myth
In 2022, mass shootings reportedly claimed the lives of 648 individuals, marking the second-highest annual total on record. Gun violence has persisted at a staggering pace, averaging at least one mass shooting per day.
Numerous politicians and influencers have pointed to video games as contributing to these tragedies, often referencing ambiguous research to support their claims. The debate over whether video games contribute to gun violence remains a contentious issue among politicians.
Recent medical studies and academic research from Stanford University have failed to establish a direct correlation between engaging in video games and real-life instances of gun violence.
While some studies have suggested a connection between playing violent video games and heightened levels of aggression, defined as any behavior aimed at causing psychological or physical harm to others, these conclusions were primarily drawn from self-reported surveys rather than observed actions.
The term "violence" encompassed a spectrum of behaviors, ranging from minor incidents to severe acts causing physical harm. However, even when considering this broad definition, such studies did not uncover a causal relationship between playing video games and violent behavior.
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