People process immigration raids in so many different ways. For some children and young adults, the online gaming platform Roblox is their way of making sense of these events and participating in the national discourse, according to Psychology Professor Giovanni Ramos.
They do this by role-playing Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducting raids and community members protesting them. Clips of these reenactments appeared on TikTok, prompting a Roblox spokesperson to tell the Associated Press it’s a violation of Roblox’s community standards because simulating a sensitive real-world event that either promotes perpetrators or mocks victims is prohibited.
He spoke to Berkeley Social Sciences recently about youth digital behavior and how their actions might serve as coping mechanisms to real-world events.
Why do you think children are turning to Roblox to role-play immigration raids?
Giovanni Ramos: Roblox markets itself as the “ultimate virtual universe” where users can “be anything you can imagine.” That tagline is key to understanding its appeal, as the platform gives youth a great degree of creative agency. Young users can construct scenarios, adopt different roles and interact with peers in a socially rich virtual environment. This is the digital equivalent of the imaginative play they’ve always engaged in, but with a much larger and connected network.
When it comes to immigration raids specifically, I think much of what we’re seeing is youth exploring what they encounter in the news or hear adults talking about at home and trying to make sense of those experiences. Youth are not passive consumers of information: they actively process the world around them, and roleplaying is one of the most natural ways they do so. The surge in ICE-related content in Roblox tracks directly with real-world events.
For children in immigrant families or communities directly affected by enforcement actions, this type of behavior can be especially meaningful. They are connecting with others who are actually going through similar things and understand their emotional experiences. That kind of connection is valuable and should not be dismissed — it can really be a lifeline.
How do immigration role-play games impact their outlook and well-being?
Giovanni Ramos: The impact of this political climate on youth depends on numerous factors in their lives, as well as the nature of the gameplay. On the positive side, the digital protests and community-building behavior we see on Roblox can serve as a healthy coping mechanism. For kids who may feel isolated or powerless in the face of real-world events, this can be genuinely therapeutic. This kind of peer connection can buffer against the negative mental health effects of sociopolitical stressors.
However, harm can also come from these virtual interactions. Virtual raid reenactments, particularly when they are treated as entertainment or humor, can minimize the emotional impact that immigrant families are experiencing in these times. Imagine logging onto Roblox and seeing your biggest fear being played out as a game or joke — it can trivialize deeply painful experiences and make affected youth feel that their distress is not taken seriously by those around them. This is especially concerning for younger children who may not yet have the cognitive tools to distinguish between playful exploration and harmful minimization.
From my own research findings, we know that discrimination-related stress is associated with increases in somatic symptoms, anxiety and depression in youth. The question with this kind of gameplay on Roblox is whether it helps process that stress or whether it amplifies it. The answer is likely “it depends.” It depends on the specific context, the child’s demographic and psychological characteristics, and the social dynamics of the virtual interaction and social support (virtual and in person) available to them.
What do you think are the long-term benefits and consequences of this type of gameplay?
Giovanni Ramos: Looking at long-term benefits, I see several promising possibilities. First, this kind of digital civic engagement could be a formative experience for young people’s sense of agency and participation in society. If a child learns at age 10 or 12 that they can organize, protest and make their voice heard — even in a virtual space — that sets a foundation for real-world civic engagement later in life. Second, the community-building aspect has lasting value. Peer connections formed around shared experiences of adversity can become enduring sources of social support, and we know from decades of research that social support is one of the strongest protective factors for mental health across the lifespan.
On the negative side, I have concerns about normalization and desensitization. If immigration raids become a recurring game mechanic — something routine in the Roblox universe — there is a risk that the gravity of these events becomes diluted for young players who are not directly affected. Over time, this phenomenon could contribute to a broader cultural desensitization to the suffering of immigrant communities.
There are also questions about the digital environment itself. Roblox has stated that reenactments of real-world sensitive events violate their community standards, yet the content persists and spreads. This pattern points to a broader challenge: platforms popular with young people need robust, responsive moderation systems that can distinguish between harmful content and healthy coping. As someone who researches digital mental health and has worked on ethical guidelines for youth-facing digital technologies, I believe platforms have a responsibility to carefully consider how they handle this kind of content — not simply banning it or removing it, but understanding the complex needs it may be serving and finding ways to support young users constructively.