By John Ikani
A Council in the South of England has asked parents to prevent their wards from watching the famous Squid Game, stressing that kids as young as six years old are copying some of the violent challenges.
Squid Game has entertained millions of people worldwide, but also seems to be harming some.
In the programme, indebted contestants play games for cash, but are shot dead if they fail.
The warning contained in emails sent by the Council’s Education Safeguarding team to parents said although many children are not watching the show, they are aware of it via viral challenges on TikTok, where social media users post their own versions of the games.
It added that some of the games on the show are said to be easily recreated by kids who use physical violence as punishment as a substitute for the player losing their life.
This month, a school in Belgium said children were beating up those who moved in the popular “red light, green light” game as a substitute for shooting them, just like in the show.’
There have also been warnings about the honeycomb game, which requires players to cut out one of four shapes in a thin disc of honeycomb using a needle without breaking the shape. This has become popular on TikTok, prompting fears that children could burn themselves on caramelised sugar if they attempt to make the honeycomb themselves.
Numerous schools have sent similar warnings to parents. Gareth Nichols, from Sir Francis Hill primary in Lincoln, said “a small group of pupils within school, aged around six” were discussing the show and “re-enacting some scenes”.
Nichols said the class teacher “immediately contacted parents to make them aware”, the BBC reported.
He added: “[The teacher] also advised parents to check settings on their devices as pupils may be accessing and viewing this show without their parents’ knowledge.”
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