Parents may be teaching their children to be bullies by letting them watch ultra-violent Squid Game, an expert has warned.
Dr Sandra Wheatley said the Netflix show could be harming youngsters’ ‘social and emotional development’ if they watch it too young.
It may encourage them to ‘stand by’ or ‘join in’ – rather than help – if they see a peer harmed, she added.
The South Korean 15-rated series has caused furious rows on parenting site Mumsnet, with some saying it was fine for children aged eight.
It sees characters compete in challenges based on childhood games – but with fatal twists – to win £27million.
Scenes depict someone shut in a coffin and people shot in the head.
Dr Wheatley, a social psychologist specialising in parenting, said primary-age children may not be old enough to understand the context of the violence, adding: ‘It may make them question, ‘why is nobody helping them?’ Clearly there are messages there that we really don’t want our kids to take on board.’
Last week, John Bramston Primary School in Ilford, east London, wrote to parents warning them pupils were copying scenes in the playground.
‘That might well shake the foundations of what they’re being taught at school, which is that we care and we help each other.
