TruPlay, a Christian entertainment platform for kids, was told by Google that they are not allowed to advertise on the Google Play store, and more recently, that their app update was denied due to so-called “inappropriate” content not suitable for children. The content in question, however, is a depiction of Jesus Christ on the cross. When Breitbart News asked the tech giant to comment on its treatment of TruPlay, it backtracked, calling the decision an “error.”
Breitbart News spoke to Brent Dusing, the founder and CEO of TruPlay, who says it “transforms screen time with safe, bible-based games and stories,” about Google’s treatment of his company. Dusing draws a sharp comparison between Google’s treatment of TruPlay, which aims to bring gaming and entertainment to children with a specific Christian message, with its primary competitor, Roblox, which is allowed to operate without any obstacles despite showing “blood everywhere and dismembered bodies” in games on its platform. According to Dusing, Google’s AI system has been “designed with blatant intent to block Christianity.”
Dusing explained that Google said “we can’t promote religious content. However they allow Roblox to advertise with images of pentagrams, drawn in blood with dismembered bodies. They have transgender games for kids on Roblox — I think you have to have quite a bit of faith to believe in that,” he added. “They also allow Buddhist products to advertise.”
“So it’s not that they’re against religion, it’s that they’re against Christianity,” Dusing asserted, citing the fact that “AI models are programmed with a moral code,” and “Google’s AI system reads Christian values as dangerous and harmful.”
Last week, Google informed TruPlay that it would not approve an update to their app, citing a violation of Google Play policy, and instructed the Christian games platform to “fix” the violation within the app by removing “inappropriate content.”
“We determined that your app content is not appropriate for children,” the message read, citing “Apps that depict or encourage gratuitous violence or dangerous activities involving the intended audience” and “Apps that include violence, gore, or shocking content not appropriate for children.”
“For example, your app contains content which is inappropriate for the intended audience,” the tech giant wrote.
Google then offered a screenshot of the content the tech giant flagged as inappropriate for children, which is a cartoon image of Jesus Christ on the cross.
“So what they’re saying is, they don’t want children to see Jesus on the cross,” Dusing told Breitbart News.
“They want that to be erased and not shown to children,” he added, before noting that in the meantime, Google is “allowing pentagrams and blood to be shown and displayed to children — and they don’t think that’s too violent.”
Roblox “had a game that recreated school shootings,” Dusing pointed out. “In that game, there’s a pentagram on the floor — the game players would kill innocent children and worship the devil.”
“Google allowed that to be approved, but they won’t allow us to show Jesus on the cross,” the TruPlay founder added.
“That tells you two things,” Dusing continued. “One: Google hates Christianity and endorses Satanism. Second: it also shows that Google doesn’t want your kids to go to church, because every church I’ve ever been inside has a cross in the building.”
“Every Catholic church I’ve ever been in has Jesus on the cross in the building,” he added. “So what Google is telling you is it doesn’t think it’s appropriate to bring your kids to church.”
“The truth is,” Dusing said, “they’ve been exposed for what they really believe, because this is an active choice that they’re making.”
Several hours after Breitbart News contacted Google asking for comment for this story, TruPlay received an email stating that their appeal of this decision had been approved, with Google dropping its restriction on TruPlay publishing its updated app to the platform.
A Google spokesperson told Breitbart News that the recent update for TruPlay’s app was “blocked in error.”
“Developers are able to appeal enforcement if they believe an error was made,” the Google spokesperson said. “In this case, the developer appeal was approved, and their app update is live on the Play Store.”
“Ads containing religious content are allowed to run on our platforms,” the spokesperson added. “Our policies prohibit targeting people based on their sensitive information, including their religious affiliations, and these are applied consistently regardless of their beliefs.”
The TruPlay CEO added that this also came after the tech giant denied their request for an app update twice: first, two weeks ago, and a second time on Friday — while subsequently failing to respond to the Christian games platform’s appeals.
As the matter currently stands, TruPlay must resubmit a form to Google requesting an update to their app, Dusing said. The CEO recognizes this isn’t a one-off problem with big tech: “We have to put restrictions and boundaries, from a legislative standpoint, that AI can’t be used to block and destroy the Christian worldview, because AI will only have more power and more authority,” he added. “It’s only going to become more ubiquitous.”
Dusing also touched upon the broader issue of AI moving forward, saying, “If you’re willing to stop a kids’ game, what’s Google going to do in five years when Google’s AI model is only more powerful and more sophisticated, and has more authority to make more decisions?”
“Google has to be regulated when it comes to AI systems,” Dusing added. “Every time a new technology comes out, the advent of new technology, the benefits are promoted, and the dangers are often discussed or found out later.”
“I’m not against new technology, and I understand that right now the AI race is between America and China,” he continued. “But you can’t say ‘we have to beat China in an AI race’ and then have an AI model that’s based on even worse, more extreme hateful values than the Chinese Communist Party has already.”
Dusing further pointed out that “China may be against Christianity, but they sure don’t let Satanic images and pentagrams be shown to their kids — the Chinese government cares more about the health and wellbeing of their own children than Google.”
“There has to be regulations that AI can’t be used to discriminate against Christianity — AI models need to reflect American values,” he added. “Those who we have elected as representatives — they have to stand up and protect Americans against this.”
“Christians everywhere should care about this issue, especially if you’re a parent or grandparent, because you have to be thinking about the youngest generation,” he added. “We have to do something now, before AI is so powerful that it gets out of hand and makes really destructive outcomes for our entire civilization.”
“Right now, it’s so blatant what Google’s willing to do in a short amount of time,” Dusing warned, adding, “The consequences will be so far reaching that they may be hard to undo.”
“TruPlay is all about bringing the joy and the fun and the truth of God to a generation of children who need it,” Dusing told Breitbart News. “Things have never been worse for children than they are today. Anxiety, suicide, and depression rates are at all-time highs.”
“We’re bringing content that’s really fun, that’s really exciting, and that contains Biblical foundations to children who really don’t see it otherwise,” he continued.
“Right now, the message of Christ is stripped out of most entertainment platforms,” he added. “Only 31 percent of kids believe in God. Only two percent have a Biblical worldview.”
“So our goal is to transform a generation of children and bring God’s truth, light, hope, optimism, and positivity to them on the place where they are the most, which is on screens,” the TruPlay CEO said.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.