AIBU to be surprised that a 6 year old has watched Squid Games?

[mumof2exhausted]

Had a play date today and towards the end the kids were getting hungry and tired so we all sat down to have a snack and my son’s friend asked if we could watch TV and one said “can we watch squid games on Netflix?”. Now I have older siblings so my 6 year old has watched some technically older rated stuff like Harry Potter films but squid games?! I laughed and said “don’t be silly you don’t watch squid games and he said he’d seen it”. That’s weird isn’t it - I’m not being overly precious am I ? He has an older brother who is 8 (same as my eldest and my 8 year old certainly hasnt watched nor would have a clue what squid games is).

@blyn it's a bit like snail racing. You get the little squids lined up on the table and see which one crosses the line first.

@EishetChayil

IT'S "SQUID GAME", FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY.

Game.

Thanks. I’m glad someone else said it

I was very impressed with my son's school on this as they sent a letter home to parents asking us to not let kids watch it (primary school) and spoke to the kids directly too. And I'm not sure what they've said, but going by my 7yo and his classmates, they've managed to make watching it uncool to the point it became a playground taunt .

@Bringmeadog - oh come on, why would a parent be monitoring a 14yr old constantly? I don’t have a problem with her watching squid games, it’s not like she’s watching beheadings. From the snippet I’ve seen it’s so obviously fake. I’m not a parent who monitors every single thing my child does, both my teens are incredibly well behaved and respectful and I don’t have any concerns about them. So perhaps you parent how you want, and I’ll parent how I want. I’m not a helicopter mum and don’t believe any parent of a 14yr old is minoring them 24/7. Or would want to.

[quote Bringmeadog]@Darbs76 no, I quite agree - 14 year olds are known for sensible and considered decision making and as such, parents should just let them get on with it……. 🙄

Alternatively, pull your finger out and take parenting seriously…… at 14 teenagers need protection and guidance, even if they won’t appreciate your efforts.[/quote]
So dramatic. Squid games is very similar in theory to The Hunger Games...which is based on a YA book targeted at...teenagers. 🙄

@Karenity - exactly. Despite being made out to be an irresponsible parent by one poster as my 14yr old DD has seen it, I’m not concerned at all. Like you say teens watch horror films. I certainly did, my friends and I all watched the Nightmare of Elm streets / scream etc. Sure they are much worse than squid games

[quote Darbs76]@Karenity - exactly. Despite being made out to be an irresponsible parent by one poster as my 14yr old DD has seen it, I’m not concerned at all. Like you say teens watch horror films. I certainly did, my friends and I all watched the Nightmare of Elm streets / scream etc. Sure they are much worse than squid games[/quote]
Some people are just too perfect and not letting their children make a decision on their own before 18 makes them feel good

It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he’d watched it. “Fucking poor parenting” to borrow a phrase from a previous poster is endemic nowadays and parents allowing their young kids to watch any old shit on tv which is totally inappropriate is just one small part of the problem .

Karenity he didn’t get the title wrong

My 5 year old freaked out his teachers by playing the squid game melody on a little toy keyboard. When they asked what he was playing he looked them dead in the eye and said "squid game". He's never seen squid game or has any idea what it is, but he has a keyboard app on his tablet where they learn popular songs so copied that.

[quote Bringmeadog]@Darbs76 as a parent, that’s exactly what you should be doing.
I despair, really![/quote]
Really? Do you have a teenager? Unless you supervise them every minute of the day and never let them go to other people's houses, you literally cannot check everything they are watching!!

My friends 8 year old has seen it, they also let him watch Deadpool at 7. Piss poor parenting.

My 15 year old has watched it, my 9 year old wanted to watch it but wasn't allowed ... I actually would have let her watch it but for the graphic sex scene in episode 3 I think it was.
I'd say your child's friend heard of it through roblox. There are lots of squid games mini games on there, where they play out the games that were on the show (kids traditional games). Then contestants get killed if they lose!
I'd say this is where most kids have heard of squid games, that & from seeing teens dressed up this past Halloween.

[quote Darbs76]@Karenity - exactly. Despite being made out to be an irresponsible parent by one poster as my 14yr old DD has seen it, I’m not concerned at all. Like you say teens watch horror films. I certainly did, my friends and I all watched the Nightmare of Elm streets / scream etc. Sure they are much worse than squid games[/quote]
Same, my 9 year old has watched & liked horror films. So long as there's no sex in them, I don't mind her watching them. There's no more violence in them than say fortnite or some of the roblox games.

My 6 year old 'knows' about squid games from roblox and YouTube, she has definitely never watched it. I wouldn't let my 13yo watch it either.

Also, I tried to watch it and kept falling asleep, if these kids knew how boring it was they wouldn't go on about it all the time

My five year old is obsessed with Squid Game. He's not seen a single moment of it! But he'd make you believe he has because he knows about it from Roblox and YouTube.

Our infant school had to put a letter out asking parents to be more careful as the children (all 7 and under) were playing 'squid game' at playtime
People underestimate how much children are aware of popular culture

Hasn’t this one been done before? Several times?

But anyway, when I was 5 or 6 a girl told me she’d watched a ‘horror film’ where a man cut out someone’s heart with a spoon. It gave me nightmares just hearing about it and my parents were horrified.

Then a while later my parents watched Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, where the Sheriff of Nottingham at one point says something about how he’ll cut someone’s heart out with a spoon. They realised that she must have watched that, and greatly exaggerated to ‘impress’ me.

Point is, kids make up and exaggerate all sorts to impress their friends and it very much sounds like the same is happening here. Squid Game was so big a few months ago that the memes, YouTube content and other tie-ins were everywhere, so a lot of people know a lot about it without ever having seen an episode.

And I’m not usually a pedant but Squid GameS really sets my teeth on edge for some reason! It’s Squid Game. Singular. Gaaah.

@thegreenlight

He hasn’t watched Squid Games. He’s heard older children talk about it or seen the game on Roblox. He was chancing it thinking you would let him watch. Please don’t judge his parents. Most of the children at the school I work in would lead you to believe that they had all seen it too. They haven’t.

Came to say exactly this

(same as my eldest and my 8 year old certainly hasnt watched nor would have a clue what squid games is).

I guarantee unless he's homeschooled that he absolutely knows about it. The dc in our school are currently all playing 'red light green light' and know what it's from from age 4 up to 12. I know a pp said it was already a game but this is specifically linked to the show. We also have 4 year olds looking in the drains for penny wise. Tbh some of them will sadly have seen these things but the majority not and your particular example definitely sounds like a chancer.

My 5yo reckons he's seen Star Wars (he hasn't), talks about Nintendo switches (he's never even seen one).
I wouldn't take what a 6yo says as gospel.