The Philippines Department of the Interior and Local Government is backing a nationwide Roblox ban following the fatal shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on August 18. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has linked the proposal to concerns over online gaming influence, although investigators have not established Roblox as the cause of the attack.
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Remulla said Thursday that DILG wants Roblox blocked across the Philippines.
“Yes, we are pushing for the total ban of Roblox. Roblox is very particular because it has a link to the dark web beside it,” Remulla said during an interview with reporters in Zamboanga.
The proposal followed the August 18 shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, where two students died, including the gunman. The minor attacker livestreamed the incident before killing himself.
Authorities reviewed the suspect social media accounts and chat activity but found no unusual conversations or evidence of coordination with another person.
“We checked his social media apps and there were no conversations out of the ordinary. We checked his chat groups and found nothing. It was all in his head, which is why we believe he was influenced by the games,” Remulla said.
Remulla also argued that the way the attacker recorded the shooting resembled a first-person video game.
“When you look at what happened in the shooting, it looked like a video game. When I first saw it, I thought it was a video game because he showed the firearms being used and showed the first-person perspective, so it really shows the undue influence of video games,” he added.
However, investigators have not publicly established a direct causal link between Roblox and the attack.
The investigation has so far found no evidence of a conspiracy or organized group behind the shooting.
“The police report will come out in due time, but the facts remain that, as far as we can determine, the minor suspect acted alone in the sense that he planned, executed, and willfully did everything on his own. There was no conspiracy behind it. There was no active group that planned it with him. There was no family influence that made him do the unthinkable,” Remulla said.
The Roblox debate also fits into wider concerns in the Philippines over online safety, youth access to digital platforms and violent gaming content.
Any nationwide restriction would require further government action. As of August 21, Roblox remained available in the Philippines.