Notes

Senate Hearing on the Safety of Children

The dystopian South Korean horror series "Squid Game" has become Netflix's most watched TV series, but it is quickly becoming as controversial as it is popular.



The latest controversy that has erupted in relation to "Squid Game" which is rated TV-MA in United States, relates to the excitement it has created among children. A school in the Australian school warned that kids who are as young as 6 years old are playing the same kind of games as the dark and gory hit series.



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



In "Squid Game," characters are competing for cash prizes through challenges that complement classic Korean children's games, with the "losers" being killed at the end of each round. These games, which highlight the show's bizarre take on children's play, are played in highly stylized arenas such as a large-sized playground for children. After each challenge these traditional children's play areas are filled with blood and filled with corpses. The show is definitely a craze within children's digital culture.



A variety of popular channels on YouTube Kids (designed specifically for viewers less than 12) have capitalized on the "Squid Game" trend. This YouTube content includes How to Draw "Squid Game" character videos, and "Squid Game" games that are themed for the online video game Roblox.



This video game is loved by children. It allows users to create games and share them with friends.



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 kids' version of YouTube, videos aimed at children show people (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 a popular trend on TikTok and users are playing the game in a vast variety of real life settings and videogames Roblox and Minecraft.



"Squid Game"'s most popular moment is "Red Light, Green Light". The meme-ified giant animatronic doll that functions as an motion sensor in the game has been extensively memeified. The doll is frequently featured in thumbnails of videos for "Squid Game"-related YouTube content for children.



These YouTube videos of children are pretty innocuous. These videos show how "Squid Game," a digital content platform specifically targeting young children, has managed to sneak into digital content. But the boundaries between adult and child-oriented content online have always been murky.



YouTube has been at the center of a number of controversies regarding inappropriate content aimed at children. TikTok has also been subject to similar concerns regarding children's security and inappropriate content watched by children. TikTok allows full access to its app to youngsters older than 13 however, reports indicate that children younger are using it: Alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently being investigated by an U.S. Senate hearing on children's safety.



In 2019, YouTube was hit with a fine of $170 million. The changes were implemented to clarify the distinction between content for children and adults. For instance, creators now have to declare to YouTube whether their content is for children and machine-learning is used to identify videos that clearly target young audiences.



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



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



Similar to "Squid Game" content "mashups" videos make use of popular themes such as search terms, themes, and characters - usually featuring famous characters in thumbnails or video titles.



The rising global panic about children's participation in "Squid Game" challenges echoes the "Momo" phenomenon of 2018 and 2019. INFO A photo of a demon-like figure became viral online. The image was actually an authentic Japanese sculpture.



An international news cycle emerged about "Momo," claiming the creature was being featured in children's content on YouTube and encouraging kids to play deadly games and challenges.



As is currently happening with regard to "Squid Game,"" official warnings were issued to parents regarding the "Momo Challenge," advising them to be vigilant. It quickly became clear that the "Momo Challenge" was the viral hoax, was most likely a hoax.



Momo embodied parents' worst fears about the dangers that children's internet use. The worry about "Squid Game"'s influence on children is of the same tenor. These fears may not be a reaction to actual dangers but an expression of our displeasure with the ease with which adult-oriented media can be incorporated into the internet, especially for young children.



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



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



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



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


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