Notes

Senate Hearing on the Safety of Children

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



The recent controversy surrounding "Squid Game" that is graded TV MA in the United States, concerns the increasing interest of children. A school in the Australian school warned that children as young 6 years old are creating the same games that were featured in the gory and dark series.



After receiving reports that "young people are copying games and violence from the show," a council in Southern England sent an email to parents, urging parents to be "vigilant". Similar warnings were issued in Australia by educators from Western Australia and Sydney.



The "Squid Game" is a show where characters compete for cash prizes while engaging in challenges that complement traditional Korean children's games. The "losers," however, are killed at the end each round. These games, which highlight the show's bizarre approach to child's playing, are held in highly stylized arenas such as a large-sized playground for children. After each challenge, these traditional children's play spaces tend to be filled with blood and littered with piles of corpses. Priority game The show is definitely a craze within children's digital culture.



A variety of popular channels on YouTube Kids (designed for viewers less than 12) have capitalized on the "Squid Game" trend. The content on YouTube includes How to Draw "Squid Game" character videos, as well as "Squid Game" themed gameplay videos from Roblox, an online video game Roblox.



This video game, which is very popular among children, allows users to create games and share them with other players.



"Squid Game" is now a popular theme in these user-programmed Roblox games. Many Roblox videos that feature "Squid Game" have hundreds of thousands, if not millions , of views.



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



The "Red Light, Green Light" scene has become one of "Squid Game's" most widely shared moments: The gigantic animatronic doll that acts as a dangerous motion sensor in the game has been extensively made into a meme. The doll is frequently featured in thumbnails on YouTube videos of "Squid Game" and other related content for children.



The majority of these children's YouTube videos are harmless by themselves. However, they show how "Squid Game" has gotten into digital content specifically aimed at young children. However, the lines between content geared towards children and adults online have always been murky.



YouTube has been at the forefront of numerous controversies regarding inappropriate content aimed at children. TikTok has also been subject to similar concerns regarding children's safety and inappropriate content being viewed by children. TikTok provides full access to its app to children older than 13, however, there are reports that show children younger are using it: Alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently being investigated by a U.S. Senate hearing on children's safety.



In the year 2019, YouTube was hit with a $170 million fine. These changes were made to clarify the difference between content for children and adult content. For instance, creators now have to be able to inform YouTube that their content is intended for children and machine learning is used to identify videos that clearly target young audiences.



YouTube is a different platform from broadcast television. YouTube's content is extremely popular with children and often differs from children's TV.



YouTube content for children that riffs off "Squid Game” characters and scenes continue a long-running trend of "mashups" content for children.



Similar to "Squid Game" content "mashups" videos incorporate popular themes or search terms and characters - often featuring famous characters in thumbnail images or video titles.



The "Squid Game" panic reverberates with the "Momo phenomenon of 2018 and 2019. In this case, a photo of a sinister character that was later attributed to the moniker "Momo" was a viral image on the internet (the photo was actually of a Japanese sculpture).



An international news cycle emerged about "Momo," claiming the creature was appearing in children's video content on YouTube and encouraging kids to take part in dangerous games and challenges.



Like "Squid Game" official warnings were sent to parents about "Momo Challenge" and advised them to be on guard. It soon became apparent that the "Momo Challenge" was most likely an online hoax.



Momo was an example of parents' worst fears about children's internet use. The fear of "Squid Game"'s influence on children has the same tone. These fears may not be a response to actual dangers, but rather a manifestation our discomfort with the ease with which adult-oriented media can be incorporated into websites that are geared towards young kids.



The inter-generational appeal of streaming media shows how streaming media is challenging the traditional notions of "child-appropriate content."



Adult concerns regarding "Squid Game's" harmful influence on children are based on earlier concerns about this "mashup" content, but also about children's interaction with the web more generally.



This article was republished by The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. The original article is available here.



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


My Website: https://prioritygame.com/