The Big Read: Is 'Squid Game' bad for children?

Parents worried about their children mimicking the Netflix series should reflect on the games their own generation played — and focus instead on the really scary stuff in modern life

Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), and Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) go into battle in ‘Squid Game’. Given the themes in the series, the real fear may be that children will be exposed to a searing critique of late-stage capitalism. Picture: Netflix

As a member of the target group, I was comforted rather than alarmed when the Squid Game warnings to parents began, with schools from Ireland to Australia saying that children were mimicking scenes from the 15-rated show in the playground. 

While I’d seen the show crop up on my Netflix suggestions when it was released in late September, the kids, naturally enough, were ahead of the curve — Snapchat quickly lighting up with mentions of the latest sensation, and classroom conversations about it relayed with excitement as soon as the schoolbags dropped on the floor.