Notes

Senate Hearing on Kids' Safety

The dystopian South Korean horror series "Squid Game" has been named the most-watched TV series but it is rapidly becoming as controversial as it is a hit.



The recent controversy over "Squid Game" that is rated TV MA in the United States, concerns the growing interest among young children. This includes warnings from an Australian school that children as younger than 6 are creating games from the dark and violent hit show.



A council in Southern England recently sent an email to parents asking parents to "be vigilant" after receiving reports that "young people are copying games and violence" from the show. Srazy.info 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 taking part in challenges that enhance classic Korean children's games. The "losers," however, are killed at the conclusion of each round. These games, which emphasise the show's bizarre approach to children's play, are played in highly stylized arenas such as an adult-sized playground. After each challenge the traditional play spaces are often filled with blood and filled with corpses. This show is a huge hit in the digital world of children.



YouTube Kids has many popular channels that benefit from the "Squid Game" trend. These channels are designed for viewers under the age of 12. This YouTube content includes How to Draw "Squid Game" Character videos and gameplay videos that feature "Squid Game" themes from Roblox.



This video game is extremely loved by children. It lets users create games and share them with other players.



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 main and children's version of YouTube videos that are targeted at children feature children (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, with people emulating the game in a wide variety of real-life settings and in videogames Roblox and Minecraft.



"Squid Game"'s most popular moment is "Red Light, Green Light". The meme-ified giant animatronic toy that acts like motion sensors in this game has been extensively memeified. This doll is often included in thumbnails of YouTube videos for "Squid Game" and other related content for children.



These YouTube videos featuring children are pretty harmless. However, they demonstrate how "Squid Game" has been incorporated into digital content explicitly targeting young children. But the boundaries between content geared towards children and adults online have always been unclear.



YouTube has been the subject of numerous controversies regarding inappropriate content directed at children. TikTok has been a target of similar controversy related to children's safety on the app and problematic content being watched by children like anti-vaccine video. TikTok provides full access to the app to youngsters older than 13 but reports show children much younger are using it: Alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently in the midst of an U.S. Senate hearing on kids' safety.



After a record fine of $170 million was handed down to YouTube by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2019, radical changes were introduced to make the distinction between adult and children's content easier to spot on the platform. YouTube now requires creators to notify YouTube that their content is intended for children. Machine learning is used to identify videos with young audiences.



YouTube is still a very different platform than broadcast television. YouTube's content is popular with children , and is often different 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.



Similar to "Squid Game" content, "mashup" videos harness trending themes such as search terms and characters - usually featuring popular characters in thumbnail images and video titles.



The increasing global anxiety over children's participation in "Squid Game" challenges echoes the "Momo" phenomenon of 2018 and in 2019. A photo of a sinister looking figure became viral online. The photo was actually a Japanese sculpture.



International news media reported on "Momo," which claimed that the creature appeared in children's videos on YouTube and urged children to play dangerous games and challenges.



Similar to what is happening in relation to "Squid Game," official warnings were sent to parents regarding the "Momo Challenge," advising them to be vigilant. It quickly became apparent that the "Momo Challenge", a viral hoax, was likely an elaborate ruse.



Momo was an example of parents' worst fears regarding children's use of the internet. Concerns over "Squid Game's" influence on children's lives have a similar tenor This might not be a reaction to actual dangers, but a manifestation of our discomfort with the ease that adult-oriented content can seep into online content targeted at young children.



The appeal of streaming media for all ages is a clear example of how streaming media is challenging the traditional notions of "child-appropriate content."



Adult fears regarding "Squid Game's" harmful influence on children stem from earlier concerns about this "mashup" content but also concern children's interaction with the web more generally.



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



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


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