The Netflix hit series “Squid Game” seemed to have reached the school playgrounds with children playing it in their own style.
The said series revolves around the challenges the 456 financially challenged players face in a series of games to bring home a whopping cash prize. The eliminated player faces death as a penalty.
The survival series released Sept. 17 became a huge success, and reports said it became a hit even among children.
Parents worldwide are cautioned by schools to watch over what their kids consume on streaming platforms as there were reports that children are making their own “Squid Game” version during break time, hurting losers as penalty.
Earlier this month, a school in Belgium warned guardians and parents through a Facebook post that children are punishing losers in games by punching.
“We are very vigilant to stop this unhealthy and dangerous game,” the school said in a post. “We rely on your support and collaboration to raise awareness of the consequences this can bring about!”
The same concern is also raised by Bay District Schools in Florida.
Through a “Safety Update” on Facebook, the district informed parents last week that parts of the “Squid Game” series can be accessible to children “without the knowledge of their parents.”
“As a result, some children are trying to replicate show scenes at school but what sounds harmless (who didn’t play Red Light/Green Light as a kid?) is not actually harmless because the game in the television show includes ‘elimination’ (death) and we are seeing kids trying to actually hurt each other in the name of this ‘game,’” part of the post said.
“Please make sure you’re aware of the content your children are accessing online and that you talk to them about NOT playing violent ‘games’ at school,” the post continued. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt and we don’t want to generate discipline referrals for students who don’t really understand what they are re-enacting.”
Panama City’s Hiland Park Elementary School principal Ilea Faircloth told Fox News that the children are harming each other through hitting and kicking as part of “Squid Game’s” “elimination” round.
But their acts are not only from the Netflix series, Faircloth said, as they also mimic some content they see online.
“With our younger students, they didn’t know it was something they shouldn’t be doing,” the principal said, adding that involved students have been talked to and their parents were informed about the situation.