Notes

Like Squid Game Content

"Squid Game,"" a dystopian South Korean horror series, is the most watched TV series on Netflix. However it is fast becoming controversial.



The latest controversy that has erupted about "Squid Game," which is rated TV-MA in the United States, relates to the interest it has sparked in children. This includes warnings from an Australian school that children as younger than 6 are playing games featured in the gory and dark show. Similar warnings were issued in Australia by teachers from Sydney and Western Australia.



In "Squid Game,"" characters are competing for cash prizes through challenges that are akin to the classic Korean games for children in which the "losers" being killed at the end of each round. Further emphasizing the show's twisted approach to child's play, these games are staged in highly stylized arenas, such as an adult scale children's playground. After each challenge the traditional children's play spaces tend to be filled with blood and covered in corpses. The show is definitely popular among children's online cultures.



A number of successful channels on YouTube Kids (designed specifically 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 that are inspired by Roblox's "Squid Game".



The Roblox game "Squid Game", which is a well-loved theme has been extremely popular. Many "Squid Game" Roblox videos have hundreds of thousands, or even millions of views.



On both the kids' and main version of YouTube videos that are targeted at children showcase people (often children) playing these "Squid Game" inspired games in Roblox and Minecraft, with the "Red Light, Green Light" challenge being a popular trend. This challenge is also trending on TikTok and users are playing the game in a range of real-life settings and in videogames Roblox and Minecraft.



The "Red Light, Green Light" scene has been deemed to be one of "Squid Game's" most shared moments: The giant animatronic doll that functions as a deadly motion sensor in the game has been heavily made into a meme. This doll often features in thumbnails of videos for "Squid Game"-related YouTube content for children.



The majority of these children's YouTube videos are harmless by themselves. However, they demonstrate how "Squid Game" has crept into online content specifically targeting young children. But the boundaries between content geared towards children and adults online has always been a mystery.



YouTube has been the subject of numerous debates over inappropriate content targeted towards children. TikTok has also been affected by similar concerns about children's safety and inappropriate content being watched by children. TikTok allows full access to its app to children older than 13, but there are reports that show that children younger are using it. Alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently facing an U.S. DONUT MAIL Senate hearing on kids' safety.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2019 major changes were made to make the distinction between adult and children's content more clear on the platform. YouTube now requires creators to inform YouTube that their content is designed for children. Machine-learning is used to identify videos with an identifiable target audience.



Despite these changes, YouTube remains a very different beast to broadcast television. The content enjoyed by children on both the main and children's version of the platform often differs markedly from kids' TV.



Children's YouTube content that riffs on "Squid Game" characters and scenes continue a long-running trend of "mashup" content for children on the platform.



Like "Squid Game" content, "mashup" videos harness the latest trends in themes, search terms and characters, often featuring famous characters in thumbnail images and video titles.



The "Momo” phenomenon of 2018 and 2019 mirrors the growing global panic over children taking part in "Squid Game” challenges. In this instance, a photo of a sinister character that was subsequently attributed to the moniker "Momo" went viral online (the image was actually of an actual Japanese sculpture).



A world-wide news report was published about "Momo," claiming the creature was appearing in children's content on YouTube and urging children to take part in dangerous games and challenges.



As with "Squid Game" official warnings were issued to parents about "Momo Challenge" and advised them to be alert. It was quickly discovered that the "Momo Challenge" is an internet-wide hoax, was probably a hoax.



Momo embodied parents' worst fears regarding the dangers children face through internet use. The concern about "Squid Game"'s influence on children is of similar implications. These fears may not be a reaction to actual dangers but an expression of our displeasure at the ease with which adult-oriented media can seep in to the internet, especially for young kids.



The unruly tentacles of "Squid Game's" inter-generational appeal show how streaming media rewrites notions of "child-appropriate" content.



Adult fears about "Squid Game's" negative influence on children stem from earlier concerns about this "mashup" content as well as about children's interaction with the web more generally.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can read the original article here.



Jessica Balanzategui is a senior lecturer in cinema and screen studies at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. She is supported by the Australian Children's Television Foundation.


My Website: https://donutmail.net/