Schools urge parents not to let children watch Netflix’s Squid Game amid fears of copying dangerous scenes

Letters have been sent directly to parents

Netflix’s Squid Game might be one of the streaming service’s most popular series to date, but it could also be one of the most controversial.

Now, the South Korean show that sees hundreds of debt-ridden people compete for a cash prize in a series of survival tasks masked as playground games has come under fire among school teachers who have concerns that children are replicating some of the challenges.

Many of the episodes contain highly violent scenes that see contestants killed or severely injured.

John Bramston Primary School in Ilford has issued a letter to parents outlining its concerns that children who have watched the programme are pretending to shoot one another in the playground as a way of re-enacting the show.

The letter states: “Dear Parents/Carers, It has come to our attention that a number of our children are watching Squid Game on Netflix.

“We have noticed an increased number of children starting to play their own versions of this game in the playground - which in turn is causing conflict within friendship groups.

“Children who are watching this are being exposed to graphic realistic scenes of violence and sadly children are acting out this behaviours in the playground which will not be TOLERATED.

“I would like to make you aware that this programme is rated a 15 for a reason.

“IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. Any child who mimics or demonstrates these behaviours, parents will be called upon and sanctions applied.

“Please be aware of the dangers of this TV programme for your children and reinforce positive behaviours.

“Also please explicitly share that pretending to shoot one another is not appropriate - nor acceptable. Please support us in keeping your children safe.”

Meanwhile, another school in Kent, Sandown, has started offering extra lessons on violence and online harm in response to the programme’s popularity.

A spokeswoman for the school said: “We are always updating our advice to the parents and children, it’s something we are constantly updating.

“As a response to this show and others we have put on extra lessons about violence and online harms.”

Squid Game was originally written in 2008 but it has taken more than 10 years for the show to be taken on.