Jonvic Remulla, secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government of the Philippines, on Thursday expressed support for a total ban on the online gaming platform Roblox, citing its links to the dark web and concerns over its influence on young people following a deadly school shooting, Xinhua reports.
Roblox is a U.S.-based online gaming platform launched in 2006 that allows users to play, create, and share games with a global community. It is particularly popular among children and teenagers in the Philippines.
Remulla said the shooting in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, which left two students dead and nine others wounded, bore a strong resemblance to a first-person shooter video game.
“This is a case of desensitization to violence and children because of the games they play on the internet,” Remulla said.
He noted that the incident showed the “undue influence” of video games. Roblox, which has previously stated its commitment to child safety, maintains that it has multiple layers of protection on its platform.
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