SILG Remulla pushes total Roblox ban amid Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday expressed his support to impose a total ban against online gaming platform Roblox following the fatal shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

“We are pushing for the total ban on Roblox...Ang Roblox lang kasi ang particular na mayroon siyang link sa dark web,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

Remulla expressed concern over violent online content and the potential desensitizing effect of video games on young people.

He particularly cited first-person shooter games.

“Kung titignan niyo yung nangyari sa [Ateneo de Zamboanga] shooting. Halos pareho sa itsura niya, video game. Noong una kong nakita nga, akala ko video game,” Remulla said.

“Kasi talagang pinakita niya ‘yung firearms na visible. Pinakita niya ‘yung first person perspective. So, it really shows the undue influence ng video games,” he added.

In March, Roblox expressed its commitment to maintaining the safety of children, including its Filipino users, on the platform.

The company emphasized that "advanced safeguards and robust safety policies" are already in place to protect its players.

“We have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information, our chat features don’t allow user-to-user image or video sharing, and age checks are required before anyone has access to chat," Roblox said.

"Those same checks are also used to limit kids and teens to only chatting with others of similar age by default. Our approach includes multiple layers of protection: advanced AI detection systems, dedicated teams who constantly monitor for critical harms, user reporting tools, and ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and safety organizations,” the company added.

On Tuesday, two students were killed while at least six others were wounded in the shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City.

The shooting involved a Grade 8 student who allegedly opened fire inside the campus.

A Grade 10 student was killed inside a classroom, while the suspect later went to the fifth floor of the school building where he reportedly shot himself.

Both guns used in the shooting incident were linked to an employee of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), who happens to be the father of the shooter.

“This is a case of misguidance. This is a case of undue influence by certain things on the internet. This is a case of desensitization of violence and children because of the games they play on the internet,” Remulla said. —RF, GMA News