Squid Game.
The South Korean TV show, which airs on streaming platform Netflix, is a big series, having received widespread viewership across the world.
So far, more than 100 million people have watched the series, and it will likely receive more as its popularity continues to soar.
However, concerns have been raised about the nature of events depicted in the television series. Some of the events, as known to many, are dangerous.
It is an issue that has also been discussed by the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).
According to the regulator, the series, which is rated +18 years, needs to be regulated further so that children do not watch it because it is inappropriate.
Therefore, KFCB is issuing an advisory to parents and guardians on Squid as follows:
- The show is intended for mature audiences because it depicts instances of violence, sex and suicide, to mention a few.
- The regulator has noted that some sections of the series can be found on other platforms apart from Netflix, including YouTube and Tiktok. Children can access these platforms and still watch sections of the show. The Board says that this is regrettable, and a contravention of IP rights of owners of content.
- The Board says that there is a huge risk of children re-enacting scenes in the game from the show. This could lead to violence.
“The Board takes this opportunity to advise parents, caregivers and guardians to be more vigilant and monitor the content their children are consuming on media platforms and guide them appropriately,” says the Board in a statement.
To this end, the Board says that it will launch a sensitization program with Netflix to educate parents and guardians on the available safeguards on Netflix.
“Netflix will work with the Board to ensure all of its content available in Kenya will be in conformity with KFCB’s classification for age suitability and other provisions of the law,” KFCB recommends.
Lastly, the Board says it has written to Google, the company that owns YouTube, requesting it to ensure that sections and scenes of Squid Game that have been recreated, distributed, and showcased on the video-sharing platform are removed or made inaccessible to ensure the content is only accessible by adults.
