p>"Squid Game," a dystopian South Korean horror series, has been the most-watched TV show on Netflix. However it is fast becoming controversial.
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p>The recent controversy surrounding "Squid Game" which has been evaluated as TV-MA-rated in the United States is related to the growing interest in the show among young children. A school in the Australian school has warned that children as young 6 years old are playing the same kinds of games as the show's dark and gory episodes. Similar warnings were issued in Australia by teachers from Sydney and Western Australia.
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p>The "Squid Game" features characters competing for cash prizes while engaging in games that are a variation on classic Korean children's games. The "losers," however, are killed at the end of every round. These games, which highlight the show's unique take on child's playing, are held in highly stylized arenas, such as an adult-sized children's playground. These traditional playgrounds for children are often covered in blood and littered by corpses after every challenge. The show is certainly popular among children's online worldviews.
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p>YouTube Kids has a number of popular channels that benefit from the "Squid Game" trend. These channels are for viewers under the age of 12. The YouTube content includes How to Draw "Squid Game" character videos, and "Squid Game" games that are themed for the online video game Roblox.
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p>The Roblox game "Squid Game", which is a popular theme, has become extremely popular. Many "Squid Game" Roblox videos have hundreds of thousands or even millions of views.
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p>On both the kids' and main version of YouTube, videos aimed at children feature users (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 trending on TikTok? where people are attempting to emulate the game in a vast variety of real-world settings as well as in videogames like Roblox and Minecraft.
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p>The "Red Light, Green Light" scene has become one of "Squid Game's" most widely shared moments: The gigantic animatronic doll that acts as a deadly motion sensor in the game has been heavily popularized. This doll is often featured in thumbnails of YouTube videos for "Squid Game" as well as other related content for children.
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p>The majority of these children's YouTube videos are quite innocuous by themselves. These videos demonstrate how "Squid Game," a digital content platform that is specifically designed for children has managed to get its hands on digital content. However, the distinction between adult-oriented and child-oriented content online were never clear.
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p>YouTube has been the subject of many controversies over inappropriate content targeted towards children. TikTok? has also faced controversy concerning the safety of children using the app, as well as problematic content being watched by children like anti-vaccine video. TikTok? allows access to the app to children who are older than 13, but reports indicate that children younger than 13 are using it: Like YouTube, TikTok? is currently facing an U.S. Senate hearing on kids' safety.S. Federal Trade Commission, in 2019, made significant changes to clarify the distinction between adult and children's content on the platform. YouTube now requires creators to inform YouTube that their content is designed for children. Machine-learning is utilized to identify videos that have a clear target audience.
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p>Despite these modifications, YouTube remains a very different beast from broadcast television. The content enjoyed by children on both the main and children's version of the platform can differ markedly from kids' TV.
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p>Children's YouTube content that is a riff off of "Squid Game" characters and scenes continues a longstanding trend of "mashup" content for children on the platform.
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p>Similar to "Squid Game" content "mashups" videos harness popular themes such as search terms, themes, and characters, often featuring famous characters in thumbnails or video titles.
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p>The increasing global anxiety over children's participation in "Squid Game" challenges is similar to the "Momo" phenomenon of 2018 and 2019. In this instance an image of a terrifying figure that became associated with the moniker "Momo" was a viral image on the internet (the image was actually of a Japanese sculpture).
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p>A global news story broke about "Momo," claiming the creature was being featured in children's content on YouTube and urging children to take part in dangerous games and challenges.
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p>Similar to what is happening in relation to "Squid Game,"" official warnings were issued to parents regarding the "Momo Challenge," advising them to be on guard. It quickly became apparent that the "Momo Challenge" is a viral hoax, was most likely an elaborate ruse.
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p>Momo was a perfect example of parents' most naive fears about the dangers of children's internet use. Concerns about "Squid Game's" influence on children share the same tenor The fears may not be a response to real dangers, but rather a manifestation of our discomfort with the ease with which adult-oriented media can infiltrate online content targeted at children in the early years.
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p>The unruly tentacles of "Squid Game's" inter-generational appeal show how streaming media challenges existing conceptions of "child-appropriate" content. https://chef.goldmaster.com.tr/members/tulipbox4/activity/246776/ </p>
p>Adult concerns about "Squid Game"'s harmful influence on children are rooted in earlier concerns about this "mashup" as well as about children's interactions with the internet more generally.
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p>This article was republished by The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. You can read the original article here.
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p>Jessica Balanzategui is a senior lecturer in screen studies and cinema at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. She receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation.
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