Children watching squid game?

[TalkAboutASpicyMeatball]

Just wondering if anyone here has let their child watch squid game and if so what age?

DS has just turned 10 and apparently most of the children in his class have watched both seasons. Obviously kids exaggerate about how "everyone else" gets to do this or that, but he's coming out with information that his best friends have told him about the show (characters, games, plot etc) so I do believe at least some of them have watched.

I'm not planning on letting him watch just because other parents allow it but I'm curious as to how many parents here would allow their 10 year old to watch? Surely it's not suitable for kids?

Maybe I'm just out of touch with modern parenting because it's not the first time other children in his friend group have been allowed to do things DS isn't. Eg over the last couple of years.. using Snapchat, call of duty/GTA, voice chat with randoms on Fortnite, things like that.

I'm not being over protective and completely out of step am I??

Mine know the games from Roblox and she is begging me to let her watch it (she’s 12) but I’ve said she must be at least 16 before I’d let her watch it. A year 5 or 6 child in my younger daughter’s primary school dressed up as Thanos for world book day (since when is Squid Game 2 a book?!) and the amount of kids screaming and following him, loads knew who he was/what he was from.

I’ve been having exactly the same thoughts, OP. My son is also 10, and says all his classmates are watching it. I really don’t think it’s for children (or would hold much interest for them?) and there’s no way I’m letting him see it. I have also recently banned Fortnite (having unwisely given in to peer pressure on that last year) so I’m the world’s worst mother 🤷🏼‍♀️

I've watched both and still surprised it was ever allowed in the UK at all. Can't wait for S3!

Definitely not for kids.

I don’t think the second one is as
shocking or disturbing as the first. I’m surprised the kids at my primary watch it as someone said above kids would find most of it boring.

My 9 year old is not allowed to watch it. My 13 year old. Fine. He loves horror like me.

Dd 12’ has watched it…when I rewatched it. 1st season only at the moment though. Some of the parts of it I didn’t let her see. But the rest she watched and apart from a few jumps she wasn’t all that phased, she also knows the lines between fiction and reality.

We haven't finished S2 yet.

Are you being serious that you can't believe it hit a UK cert? I hope not. It's a 15 max in my eyes. It's not gory, there's extremely little sexual content. It's a thriller of course, who is going to win. It's got a story, harvesting human organs.

I was more shocked watching that... Aargh... Hunger Games with my teen daughter. It's pretty much the same thing. Just a waste of organs.

No way

saw some kids dressed up as squid game characters for world book day 🙄

I'm more of a mind that the second is worse (possibly for kids) as they are very open to wanting the bodies still alive to harvest the organs.
I'm not sure that's touched on in the first.

Oh, I've just remembered the people paying to watch it towards the end, that's a bit much. I wouldn't recommend that to under 16s really.

These things happen irl though. I'm sure they are not unaware at that age.
It's not like Hostel (?) abducted and killed in most horrific way to highest bidders who have their say. Which also happens irl but that glorifies it way more.

Yes thats the one - its really interesting watching how people interact in that situation and who gets chosen for 'death'

Thanos is played by a Kpop idol (TOP from Big Bang) so that may be why some like him or know who he is, DD was super-excited about him being in it. And obviously to kids he looks cool!

I won't let 11 yr old twins watch it and they have been asking. I recently allowed them to watch Stranger things (first 3 seasons) which is gory and scary but such good viewing. We sat and watched as a family, something that rarely happens anymore. I'm holding off S4 for a few more months.

I hate horror and gore but I remember classmates in the late 80s loving Freddie Kreugar and Gremlins, they were terrifying to me. I read Virginia Andrews books at 11, totally unsuitable. I don't think watching squid games is a failure of modern parenting by any means. Some kids that age enjoy that sort of thing and it does them no harm.

Absolutely not. Not appropriate at all. I work in education and the TV programmes/films/games that some children are allowed to access horrifies me!

My eldest is 10 and also claims “loads” of his classmates have seen Squid Game. I don’t believe it though. I reckon they’ve seen the American game show version..

Season 4 of Stranger Things is pure unadulterated horror, and really not suitable for 11 year olds (though I don’t think any of it is suitable for them!).

There's a squid games thing on roblox, so it's possible some kids are just playibg it on there and saying they've seen it. Really can't imagine many people would be happy with kids that age watching it

My DS is 7 (and one of the oldest in his year so most friends are still 6) and his friends have been talking about it, which has got him obsessed. I do doubt his classmates have been watching it but they might have older siblings who watch it and tell them about it or they may have seen clips on YouTube. His teacher had no idea what it was but was concerned about what the children were saying so I told her about it and she said she'd send out a mass email to parents but haven't seen one yet.

DS obviously isn't allowed to watch it but he's learnt about the games and has become obsessed, making the ddakji origami cards to play that game and trying to play gong-gi with lego blocks instead of dice.

I don't think they're watching it but rather watching the YouTube gamers etc who are doing Squid Game games.

No I completely agree with what you are saying and what your worried about my son is nearly 8 and has asked to watch squid game and as I've watched it I have say no.....absolutely no way is this suitable and he's also said things to me that make me think that some of his friends have watched it but it is not happening. I also get what your saying with Snapchat etc he's also asked about this but I have said no as it's on of the worst social media for bullying.

Can I also say that my son has fortnite but I limit who he can speak to ie he has his friends that I know from school etc and that's it. I know your son is 2 years older but still kids aren't they. He's also asked for GTA and I've told him absolutely no way on this it's rated 18 for a reason.

I think a lot of YouTubers have done versions of squid games too. My DS was all everyone else has seen it when the first season came out. I checked with a few of “everyone else’s” parents. They had not.

You know most children at a young age know what sex is. At 13, some boys are watching porn. I think you need to stop being naive.