The puzzle game on his Android phone had been interrupted by a video showing Hamas militants, terrified Israeli families and blurred graphic footage. Over a black screen, a message from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the first grader: “WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WHO HARM US PAY A HEAVY PRICE.”

Cassis, a 28-year-old barista from Brazil, said that the ad left her son shaken and she quickly deleted the game.

“He was shocked,” she said in a telephone interview last week. “He literally said, ‘What is this bloody ad doing in my game?’”

Reuters has not been able to establish how the ad came to her son’s video game, but her family isn’t alone. The news agency has documented at least five other cases across Europe where the same pro-Israel video, which carried footage of rocket attacks, a fiery explosion, and masked gunmen, was shown to gamers, including several children.

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    42
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    8 months ago

    …ads make their way into children’s video games

    That’s the problem. Porn, war propaganda, candy, energy drinks, whatever. Ads should not be allowed in children’s games.

  • CriticalMiss@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    28
    ·
    8 months ago

    What a shocking revelation! Next thing they’ll tell me is that softcore drawn porn also makes it into children ads.

    • glimse@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      37
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      8 months ago

      Guess we should just fold our hands and accept softcore porn and violent propaganda in ads targeting children then, huh?

      • frunch@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        8 months ago

        Maybe they’re just living up to their handle (criticalmiss) and it’s a novelty account

        Their whole schtick is garbage takes like that one

        • glimse@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          8 months ago

          Their profile doesn’t load for me so I can’t confirm but I wouldn’t be surprised