This archive report was first published on 2 November 2021.
On November 1st, 2021, the Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) issued a statement cautioning against the viewership of Netflix's Squid Game by children under the age of 18.
According to KFCB acting chair Christopher Wambua, the release of Squid Game to the Kenya market has raised concerns among parents and caregivers over children emulating some of the scenes in real life settings.
“Squid Game is rated 18 and is intended for mature audiences. Despite the childhood game references, it is not meant for viewing by children,” Wambua stated.
Netflix has self-rated the series 18+ with notes for suicide, violence, and sex to advise viewers that are over 18 that the content could be disturbing.
KFCB expressed concern that the series has been copied and pasted onto online streaming platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, making content unsuitable for children readily available online without parental control safeguards.
“This is regrettable as it is also a contravention of the intellectual rights of the owners of the content. As a result, the risk of children now imitating or re-enacting scenes in the game from the series has become real,” Wambua said.
Wambua warned that seemingly innocent scenes may lead to escalation of violence and other vices as depicted in the series, causing grave harm to children, including death.
He cited previous instances where children were influenced by films, including the 2021 case of a Kenyan youth who confessed to murdering his parents and siblings due to the influence of a film titled ‘Killing Eve’, and the 2017 ‘Blue Whale’ challenge game that led to suicide among teenagers in various parts of the world, including Kenya.
As a result, KFCB is urging parents, caregivers, and guardians to be more vigilant and monitor the content their children are consuming on media platforms, especially during the upcoming December holidays.
Wambua announced that KFCB and Netflix will roll out a joint sensitization programme to educate parents, guardians, teachers, and caregivers on the available safeguards on the Netflix platform and parental control tools to safeguard children from accessing age-inappropriate content online.
Additionally, KFCB has written to Google requesting them to remove or make inaccessible sections and scenes of the ‘Squid Game’ that have been recreated and distributed on ‘YouTube’.
