Do violent video games create school shooters? I'm not qualified to answer that. Do they glorify violence? Probably, maybe, yeah.
More specifically, do video game and gun companies create and in turn advertise "hundreds of images depicting and venerating the thrill of combat" via social media, as this lawsuit alleges?
That also seems like a reasonable statement.
Parents and families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting are involved in a lawsuit against Activision, the creator of Call of Duty, Daniel Defense, the AR-15 manufacturer and Meta, for advertising the products.
Previous similar litigation against video game companies alleging that video games cause school shootings have flopped. Lawsuits against gun companies like Remington have netted substantial compensation. This case in particular raises some interesting points about the nature of targeted advertising and influencers promoting the purchase of firearms.
Section 230 immunizes platforms from civil lawsuits such as these if they arise from posts made by their users, though things are a little more complicated in cases where a platform's targeted advertising is the primary issue. — Emma Roth
According to Meta's published "Advertising Standards," which apply to Instagram, "[a]ds must not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition or explosives," including "[f]irearms, … firearms parts, [and] ammunition."
So while Instagram can't directly promote the sale of guns, there's ways of getting around this parameter.
Influencers are Instagram users with a large and established audience who companies use to promote products, usually in their everyday life and with the veneer of authenticity.[…]The agency notes that while Instagram prohibits direct advertising, "influencers can pay to promote their content that reviews a firearms product but doesn't link to a website where guns and ammunition are sold
[…] An employee of a gun range interviewed for the article put it this way: "[Influencers] can promote our product better than we can.
Previously:
• Uvalde kids refusing to go to classrooms 'guarded' by coward cops who let their friends die
• Justice Department: police acted with 'no urgency' to confront Uvalde gunman as he killed 19 children
• Uvalde survivors file $27bn class-action lawsuit against coward cops
