13 yo & Squid Games 3?

[Wreckinball]

My 13 yo tells me everyone in school is watching this new season. Perhaps to my shame I’d never heard of it or known they’d watched the other 2 seasons.
We’ve reached a truce where DH and I will watch it first off tonight to see if it’s appropriate, as I think it’s a 15 and quick review search indicates that it’s mindless violence and bad psychologically.
Do you let your DCs watch it?

Absolutely not and I’d want to know how the hell they’d see the other two seasons when, presumably, they were even younger

How did they watch the other 2 seasons ? Clips of the worst bigs of social media or whole episodes?

I don’t know it it’s any more violent than seasons 1 and 2 but why did they ask you rather than watch it in the same way as previous seasons?

I am watching it with my 14 year old, and she watched the other 2 seasons when she was 13 (probably going to get slated for it on here) I think this is going to be very much child dependent. I watched it myself first and made the decision based on my child, and knowing she could handle it, and I would be with her to switch off, or talk through any bits she found uncomfortable.

Depends on the type of 13yr old he is, watch it yourself and make a judgement call on that. I'm fairly relaxed and at 13 probably would let me eldest watch it.

I was shocked that a boy in my ds2 class was having a group round to watch it after school on Friday (last day here). They are 10!!! Absolutely not appropriate for their age.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/squid-game/user-reviews/adult

What common sense media says

Why do you allow dc to watch such violence? Unbelievable. You normalize violence at your peril. Just because others do it, you don’t have to stoop so low.

I’ve really enjoyed the series but it’s shockingly violent and there’s a psychological element that makes it worse, I don’t think it’s mindless violence at all.

13DD watches 15s - and her friends have seen this but I’ve said definitely not. Theres also a sex scene in a toilet cubicle that she would hate.

11DS knows all about SG from friends and you tube, loads of year 5 and 6 kids watch it which really shocks me, even when I consider myself lenient on what DC watch.

Sorry but how did you never know of the first two seasons?

and follow up, why would you think the third season be any worse than the first two?

You don’t know what you don’t know. This all came out this afternoon.
thanks for the responses, we’re quite strict generally, and am trying to find out if I’m pearl clutching or right to be concerned and it seems like the latter. I came to MN as a voice of reason as online you have no idea whether to trust the results that come back at you

Depends how you define mindless violence! In terms of the programme? Yes there’s reasons - aren’t there always? Or in terms of whether it’s without thought for younger viewers? It’s then mindless violence. Why would anyone think this is great tv for a developing mind is beyond me? No wonder dc have MH issues!

It's a hard no from me. It's not just about whether your DC can 'handle' it. It's about what watching violence and sadism does to young minds. In fact, if your DC can watch it and not feel uncomfortable or shocked, that might suggest they are already inured to screen violence. And that's hardly something to celebrate.

@Wordsmithery Entirely agree. What on earth has happened to sensible parenting?

Definitely not. DS, who is 13, was all enthusiastic about the second season because apparently everyone at school was watching it, so I watched a few minutes of an episode with him with my finger on the remote, and he said ‘You’re right, this is way too disturbing for me’ and hasn’t mentioned it since.

My DD was about 13/14 when the first season came out. She didn’t want to watch it as doesn’t really like graphic violence but all her friends were.

As I had watched it we agreed I’d tell her enough of the story that she didn’t feel totally left out. Worked quite well!

Why do people like watching extreme violence? I don’t get it.

13 is too young. Even an 'old' 13 .

It's very violent, very bloody, very gory, very distopian.. There's no let up or hope.

It's rated a 15 for a reason.

There was a Squid Game themed parade in Seoul yesterday and a number of Koreans have objected to it on the grounds that such a violent and disturbing series should not have a parade as a family event - though scenes from the series weren’t shown during the parade nor at the fan event featuring actors from the series.

It's shite.

The first season is well done and has strong writing and a heart that make it worth watching.

Nor me. Which rules out quite a lot of films and TV. If you add in that I’m not interested in crime as entertainment, whether it’s shows about perpetrators or investigating them, real or fictional, then that rules out an astonishing amount of tv, film and podcasts.

Absolutely not. I have a 12yo and a 9yo. The 9yo has known the songs since S1 and they play versions of the games in the playground which is bad enough in my eyes.

DH and I watch it and it's in no way appropriate for children. We're pretty lax on a lot but not on age appropriate tv/video games/social media. Apparently ALL (ofc) the friends of my 12yo play GTA/RDR and have snap chat and Tik Tok etc. I definitely judge the parents. I recently messaged one of the parents about RDR to see how bad it was because my eldest was feeling really left out when his friends played together. I wanted to check if I was perhaps being too strict, they replied they didn't know the content but their kid begged them because "everyone" had it. Needless to say I didn't cave and they've moved onto another game now that's more suitable but I did have a wobble.

Go with your gut OP.

Completely agree. The kids I know who have watched it, at around 11 and 12 years old, have “cool” parents. In actual fact they are scared to death of saying no to their kids and actually parenting them.

One of the girls is 15 now and she had free rein of Netflix etc. She’s really struggling with her mental health. Her mother is telling anyone who
will listen that it is the fault of the school, the lack of help for children with mental health issues, her moody ex husband. No love, it’s your complete failure to actually parent your kids that has caused this!

Absolutely not. I’m a true crime lover, fascinated by serial killers etc and I couldn’t even stomach this.

I don't understand why it's not an 18, i think it's absolutely crazy. The violence is constant and graphic, there's sex and sexual assault. Parents see it's a 15 and probably think it's not too bad, I'd let a 13 year old watch Alien (also a 15, and actually an 18 originally) without a second thought - but Squid Games, no chance.

If they've already watched series 1 and 2 without you even knowing though then really you're just shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted and you need to be far more aware of what your kids are doing. You're clearly not strict if they've managed to watch two whole seasons (15 hours) of it without you even realising.