Parents Express Concern with Kids Imitating ‘Squid Game’

Schools are warning parents not to let kids watch the show.

Schools are warning parents not to let kids watch the show.

Since it’s debut on Netflix last month, Korean thriller series Squid Game has become a household name, setting a record for Netflix’s biggest series launch to date. Discussion about the show and its characters are prominent on all social media platforms as more viewers take in its story of impoverished men and women thrown into deadly twists on children’s playground games. However, while the show utilizes such games, it is not intended for young audiences, which is why parents are concerned that their kids are imitating it.

Schools all over the world have sent warnings to parents about children imitating the games played in Squid Game. While the games themselves are harmless, the point of concern is that kids are “killing” each other when they lose in imitation of the show, usually in the form of punching or kicking.

“Some children are trying to replicate show scenes at school but what sounds harmless (who didn’t play Red Light/Green Light as a kid?) is not actually harmless because the game in the television show includes ‘elimination’ (death) and we are seeing kids trying to actually hurt each other in the name of this ‘game,’” reads a Facebook message from Bay District Schools in Florida.

“Please make sure you’re aware of the content your children are accessing online and that you talk to them about NOT playing violent ‘games’ at school,” the post added. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt and we don’t want to generate discipline referrals for students who don’t really understand what they are re-enacting.”