Ohio school district sues Microsoft, Roblox over video game harm to students

(CN) — A small Ohio school district sued three big video game producers with a global reach, claiming youngsters are attracted to and addicted to the online games that have behavioral and financial consequences for the school district and its students.

“America’s students are facing a mental health crisis caused by excessive and compulsive video game use that school districts across the country, like plaintiff, are battling from the front lines,” the school district says in its 185-page complaint. “Predictably, this crisis, of defendants’ own making in their quest for profit, was tragically — and effectively — brought to the doorsteps of plaintiff’s schools by defendants.”

The Champion Local School District in Trumbull County, Ohio, serving more than 1,300 students in three schools, named Microsoft Corp., Mojang AB and Roblox Corp. in its suit filed Saturday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Microsoft and its wholly owned subsidiary Mojang were named for the Minecraft video game series and Xbox system. Roblox, a San Mateo, California-based company, is a game developer that has previously been sued by parents claiming their children were enticed through Roblox to meet with adult predators preying on juveniles.

The Ohio school district claims the defendants intentionally use psychological techniques to design, develop and promote gaming systems that attract users and to keep them addicted. “Defendants’ video games formed a gateway to video game addiction and left school districts, which are on the front lines of the many challenges facing America’s youth, with the dauntless task of responding to the crisis of video game addiction,” the district said in its complaint.

Among the harms the school district says are caused by the defendants’ video games, its schools must use financial and human resources to prevent use of video games during school hours, hire counselors and other professionals to address video game addiction. And it cites a “consistent and pervasive” disruption to the learning process, caused by video games.

“While defendants profit, local school districts across the nation, including plaintiff, are left footing the bill for assisting America’s struggling youth,” the school district says in its 12-count complaint that seeks unspecified punitive and damages.

Neither Microsoft nor Roblox responded to a request for comment from Courthouse News Service Monday.

After Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird accused Roblox in a suit filed last December, accusing the company of knowingly exploiting children and putting them at risk of pornographers and adult child predators, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said in a statement that the company has taken steps to protect children who access the game.

Acworth, Georgia-based Bullock Legal Group represents the school district in its suit.

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