Uvalde Parents Accuse Meta, ‘Call of Duty’ of Grooming Shooter in Lawsuit

The lawsuit alleges that defendants are grooming alienated teenage boys to become mass shooters. Uvalde parents have filed lawsuits against Meta and Activision, claiming that the companies groomed the teenage gunman responsible for the 2022 school massacre. The parents accuse Meta’s Instagram app and Activision’s Call of Duty game, along with gunmaker Daniel Defense, of grooming young men who are socially vulnerable and eager to assert dominance. The lawsuit states that these companies are creating mass shooters out of alienated teenage boys. The parents claim that the shooter was influenced by content from Instagram and Call of Duty. Attorney Josh Koskoff stated that there is a direct link between the companies’ conduct and the Uvalde shooting. The gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. The lawsuit also accuses Meta of exposing the teen gunman to violent content on Instagram and failing to enforce advertising standards that ban paid firearm marketing to minors. The parents claim that gunmakers bypass these rules by making organic posts and using influencers to sell their products. The lawsuit alleges that Call of Duty goes beyond mere entertainment and functions as a simulation training teenagers to become gunmen. Activision defended video games, stating that millions of people enjoy them without turning to violence. The Entertainment Software Association disputed the link between video games and real-world violence. The families involved in the lawsuit are also part of a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials over the handling of the shooting response. Another lawsuit seeks at least $27 billion in damages from local and state authorities. President Joe Biden offered prayers and condolences to the Uvalde community on the anniversary of the shooting. The lawsuits raise concerns about the role of social media and video games in promoting violence and the accountability of companies in preventing such tragedies. Can you rewrite this sentence, please?

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