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BԪַSquid GameBԪַ causing fear on Canadian playgrounds

Parents and school officials concerned hit Netflix showBԪַs violence being mimicked in schoolyards
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This undated photo released by Netflix shows South Korean cast members, from left, Park Hae-soo, Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon in a scene from BԪַSquid Game.BԪַ THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Youngkyu Park/Netflix via AP

The massive popularity of the Netflix series BԪַSquid Game,BԪַ which features adults playing childrenBԪַs games turned deadly, has led to fears among Quebec parents and school boards that the violence is being mimicked on school playgrounds.

Guillaume Taillon-Chretien said his eight-year-old daughter came home one evening this month visibly shaken up, afraid to return to school. BԪַShe told me older kids were playing the games from BԪַSquid Game,BԪַBԪַ said Taillon-Chretien, whose daughter is in Grade 3 at an elementary school in Massueville, northeast of Montreal.

He said the series is BԪַabsolutely not suitedBԪַ for young children, but one girl in the school was playing the role of a doll who determines which characters die. BԪַAnd she was reproducing it, reproducing when they get shot, lying face on the ground,BԪַ he said.

Several school boards in the province have recently issued statements warning parents about students imitating the games on playgrounds. The South Korean series features 456 desperate, indebted adults fighting each other to the death for a chance to win a prize worth roughly $48 million.

The show is rated for mature audiences only, and schools from Australia to the United Kingdom are reportedly asking parents to make sure their kids donBԪַt watch it following reports of BԪַSquid GameBԪַ play at recess.

Montreal psychologist Nadia Gagnier said that for young children, parents provide the most influence and guidance. She said stopping children from watching BԪַSquid GameBԪַ isnBԪַt enough parents should discuss the phenomenon as a way to reassure their children and build trust.

BԪַEverybody is talking about it, so pretending nothing is happening, I donBԪַt think itBԪַs the best approach,BԪַ Gagnier said.

BԪַ The Canadian Press





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