AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows is directing a House committee to examine child safety failures on Roblox after a lawmaker from Uvalde discovered a game simulating the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre.
Burrows said Rep. Don McLaughlin of Uvalde brought to his attention a first-person shooter game on Roblox that graphically recreates the shooting, in which a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in May 2022.
“Turning an unspeakable act of violence, whose scars remain across the Uvalde community, into entertainment is a profound moral failure,” Burrows said. “When directed at children, it goes beyond poor taste and crosses into dangerous territory.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Texas sues Roblox, alleging the online gaming platform endangers children
McLaughlin expressed his appreciation that Burrows recognized “the seriousness of this issue.”
“What happened at Robb is not a game. It is not entertainment. It is not something to be recreated for shock value or consumed by children online,” McLaughlin said. “Turning the murder of innocent children and teachers into virtual content is beyond sick, and the fact that this kind of material can exist on a platform used by millions of kids is a staggering failure.”
The interim charge directs the House Committee on State Affairs to investigate content moderation practices on gaming platforms, examine enforcement gaps and recommend solutions to better protect minors from exploitation and harmful content. The committee is also tasked with looking at communications between minors and adult strangers on such platforms.
Burrows cited Roblox’s scale as a key concern, noting that nearly 40% of the platform’s 144 million daily users are under the age of 13. He said the platform has repeatedly failed to curb violent content and predatory behavior.
“These are not isolated incidents; they point to systemic failures in oversight,” Burrows said.
McLaughlin said Texas has an obligation to act.
“Texas has a duty to stand up for these families, protect our children, and hold platforms accountable when they allow disturbing and exploitative content to spread,” he said. “I look forward to working toward real solutions that strengthen child safety and make sure companies cannot profit while exposing minors to this kind of evil.”
————————————————
