Grand Theft Auto Linked to Toxic Behavior by Politician

Grand Theft Auto is trending on Twitter again, but not because GTA 6 has been announced, but because of an Australian politician and his comments about the Rockstar Games' series. Since the release of GTA 5 and GTA Online, politicians across the world have had a ton to say about the pair of experiences and the series as a whole. Just last month, one Illinois politician proposed a bill that would remove GTA 5 from sale if it passed. This time it's Peter Dutton, an Australian Liberal Party politician and the Minister of Home Affairs, who linked the series to toxic behavior during a morning television interview.

During the interview, Button made note of the issues women face and the horrific stories he's heard that involve teenage boys specifically.

"As a father of a 19-year-old daughter and teenage boys, it horrifies me the stories you hear," said Dutton. "And it's not uncommon... young girls, hand up a skirt, on a breast, etc, it's completely unacceptable behavior. For teenage boys, it's incumbent on parents, first and foremost, to make sure that we are teaching them the right values and the respect they need to have towards women."

Adding to this, Dutton brings up social media such as TikTok, and the "content on there that is unfiltered and going into the minds of young impressionable boys and girls."

At this point in the interview, Dutton name drops Grand Theft Auto, linking it, like social media, to the aforementioned toxic behavior.

"If you're playing Grand Theft Auto as a 13-year-old boy, and lots of teenage boys will do... in that game, not just, you know, drive cars recklessly, you can go for a lap dance, you can go and shoot police... and so we need to have a broader conversation about the influences on these young boys, both in a family setting and a societal setting, and in particular, online."