Foreign media roundup: Minors' imitation of "Squid Game" has caused global concern

(Text/Simon Yao)

Netflix Korean drama "Squid Game" is a global hit, but because the play is full of a large number of bloody and violent scenes, and minors like to imitate the behavior of characters in popular dramas, more and more relevant regulatory agencies in the broadcasting areas are warning that they should pay attention to prohibiting minors from watching this drama.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Melissa Hansen, director of the Media Supervision Organization American Parents Television and Media Council (PTC), commented on her website on the 6th that "Squid Game" is "full of incredible violence." She pointed out that parents should use the "parental control" function for Netflix.

Due to the streaming platform nature of Squid Games, minors can easily access it without parental controls.

PTC noted: "Although it has an age-specific rating, due to Netflix's marketing campaign, Squid Games will appear on most menu screens once the Netflix app is opened." ”

PTC claims that Netflix's sales strategy is to recommend content based on viewing history through algorithms, but it often bypasses this and promotes the content they want.

In addition, PTC also cited the problem that children can watch indirectly without going through Netflix. That's because content summaries and video clips from The Squid Game are often circulated on various social media.

"Netflix should act as a gatekeeper to ensure that content harmful to minors is not posted on its platform," Hansen said.

In Europe, primary school teachers in the UK have also begun to advise parents to supervise their children's viewing, because "Squid Games" is not suitable for primary school students aged 15 and over, and the violence in the play can be harmful.

According to the British "Times" and other media reported on the 9th, John Bramston Primary School in northeast London has sent a letter to parents to find that children are playing a realistic version of the "squid game" on the playground and pretending to shoot each other.

The school warned that if a child was imitating the behavior in the "squid game", parents would be summoned to the school and disciplined the students.

There was even an advertisement for the live-action version of "Squid Game" on British social media. In this ad, participants will play 6 matches and if they lose, they will be hit in the face by a BB bomb. The venue is in West London and the entry fee is £100 and the winner will receive £10,000.

According to the British Newspaper Daily Telegraph, police said they were "aware of what was posted on social media and were seeking further details".

A school in Belgium warned that the French game "1, 2, 3, Soleil," similar to the game of life and death depicted in the play, "Red Light, Green Light," had been transformed into a game in which students on the winning side would violently punish students on the losing side.

According to the New York Post, a Belgian school posted on Facebook: "'Squid Game' is a series that is forbidden for children under the age of 18. Students who continue to play this game of hitting other children will be sanctioned. ”

Thai police also warned that they are worried that teenagers will imitate the violence of "Squid Game", according to Thailand's "Bangkok Post" and other local media reported on the 12th, Kisana Pattana kalong, deputy spokesman of the National Police Department, said at a press conference on the 10th that due to the epidemic, during the lockdown, the audience, including teenagers, stayed at home most of the time, so "Squid Game" has received widespread attention, and "because teenagers often imitate the behavior of characters, this may lead to crimes that endanger the lives and bodies of others, Parents should carefully supervise their children's access to web content."

Source: Reference News Network