The dystopian South Korean horror series Squid Game has been named the most-watched television show however, it is fast becoming as controversial as it is popular. The latest controversy to surface around Squid Game, which is classified as TV-MA in the United States, relates to the interest it has sparked among children. This includes warnings from an Australian school that children as young as 6 are re-creating games featured in the dark and violent hit show. After receiving reports that young people are copying violence and games from the show a council in Southern England sent an email to parents, asking them to be vigilant. In Australia similar warnings were issued by teachers in Sydney and Western Australia. The Squid Game is a show where characters compete for cash prizes while engaging in challenges that complement traditional Korean games for children. The losers, however, are killed at the end every round. Further emphasizing the show's twisted take on child's play, the games are played out in highly stylized arenas such as an adult scale playground for children. These traditional play areas for children are often left with bloody stains and littered with corpses following each game. This show is a huge success in children's digital culture. A variety of popular channels on YouTube Kids (designed for users younger than 12) have capitalized on the Squid Game trend. The content on YouTube includes How to Draw Squid Game characters, videos of characters, and gameplay videos with Squid Game themes from Roblox. This video game is very loved by children. It lets players create games and share them with others. The Roblox game Squid Game is a popular theme, has become extremely popular. Many Squid Game Roblox videos have hundreds of thousands, or even millions of views. Raunge On both the main and kids' version of YouTube videos targeted at children feature users (often children) playing these Squid Game inspired games in Roblox and Minecraft, with the Red Light, Green Light challenge emerging as a particularly popular trend. This challenge is also a trend on TikTok where people are attempting to emulate the game in a wide variety of real-life settings as well as in videogames like Roblox and Minecraft. Squid Game's most shared moment is Red Light, Green Light. The meme-ified giant animatronic toy that functions as an motion sensor in the game has been heavily memeified. This doll is often included in thumbnails of YouTube videos for Squid Game and other related content for children. The majority of these children's YouTube videos are quite innocuous by themselves. But, they illustrate how Squid Game has crept into digital content explicitly targeting young children. However the lines between adult-oriented and child-oriented content online were never clear. YouTube has been at the heart of numerous controversies regarding inappropriate content aimed at children. TikTok has been a target of similar controversy related to children's safety on the app as well as content that is not safe for children that children are watching including anti-vaccine videos. TikTok provides full access to the app to youngsters older than 13 however, there are reports that show children younger are using it. Alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently facing an U.S. Senate hearing on children's safety. In 2019, YouTube was hit with a $170 million fine. The changes were implemented to clarify the distinction between content for children and adults. YouTube now requires creators to notify YouTube that their content is intended for children. Machine-learning is used to recognize videos that have young viewers. YouTube is still a very different platform from broadcast television. YouTube's content is popular with children and often differs from the children's television. YouTube content for children that riffs on Squid Game” characters and scenes continues a long-standing trend of mashups content for children. Like Squid Game content, mashup videos harness popular themes such as search terms and characters - usually featuring popular characters in thumbnail imagery and video titles. The increasing global anxiety over children's participation in Squid Game challenges is similar to the Momo phenomenon of 2018 and 2019. In this case the image of a savage figure that was subsequently attributed to the moniker Momo was a viral image on the internet (the photo was actually of an actual Japanese sculpture). A world-wide news report was published about Momo, claiming the creature was being featured in children's content on YouTube and encouraging children to take part in dangerous games and challenges. Like Squid Game official warnings were issued to parents regarding Momo Challenge and advised them to be on guard. It was quickly discovered that the Momo Challenge is the viral hoax, was most likely an elaborate ruse. Momo represented parents' worst fears about the dangers of children's internet usage. The worry about Squid Game's influence on children is of the same tone. These fears may not be a response to actual dangers, but a manifestation our discomfort with the ease at which adult-oriented content can seep in to the internet, especially for young children. The unruly tentacles of Squid Game's inter-generational appeal illustrate how streaming media challenges existing notions of child-appropriate content. Adult concerns about Squid Game's harmful influence on children stem from earlier concerns about this mashup however, there are also concerns about children's interactions with the internet more generally. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. The original article here. Jessica Balanzategui is a senior lecturer in screen and cinema studies at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. She receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation.
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