Parent reviews for Squid Game

I watched this due to my middle schooler asking to watch it because all the kids at her school were watching it. I wanted to watch first to see if appropriate for her. It is in no way appropriate for that age group. Kids today are subject to too much violence and sexual material and this has both. It is rated MA for a reason. I would not recommend it and if you do, at least watch it with your child to answer questions. And we wonder why there is so much violence in our schools today!

I'm usually the one rolling my eyes at parent reviews that come from the LA LA LA WE CAN'T HEAR YOU OR SEE YOU attitudes towards sexuality. But this show is so, so, so bleak - the sex in question is brief, partial top female nudity.....in a toilet cubicle, done transactionally for the woman to buy protection, while everyone is in a metaphorical hellscape of their own creation.

And I think the ..uh…intimate smuggling of contraband? (Cigarettes) deserves a special mention for parental awareness.

The violence is absurd and grotesque, and the social messages are bleak and dark.

The important word here is context. In context, this is an existential, deeply chilling nightmare, and a provocative indictment of the modern world. This should not be watched without consideration of that.

Don't get me wrong. It's completely awesome. Highly recommended. Its a wonderful show - but...don't watch it with the kids. This is something they should be sneaking under your radar or watching after they are old enough to buy the drink you need to soothe your soul after viewing.

This show does all of the things that typical child predators do:
It advertises with bright colors on various trailers
Uses kid games to lure many to watch (Example: Red Light, Green Light)
Uses a show name "Squid Games" so parents and kids don't think this show is heavy in: Gore, Violence, Drugs, Torture, Seduction, Sedistic, Nudity, Sex and the moral points are thin to say the least. And if you ever get the positive messages after being bombarded with all the things I mentioned - Good Luck! Your kid will get a heavy does of all things bad before every getting any morals out of this show.

I am so suprised at the ages of the kids that comment on this show: 9 year old and 10 year olds, when the show itself says that it is for MATURE audiences. Parents have allowed streaming services to be the babysitter and there kids are watching perverted, demoralizing and sedistic behaviors and at age 10 I am reading comments like "This show was great and sexy."

We have a 10 and 11 year old clamouring to watch Squid Game because everyone is talking about it at school, but we're not letting them. It's too violent, but that isn't a deal-breaker - so much is violent on TV that I suppose many kids will have some resilience if you watch it with them and skip through the worst bits. The problem is the thematic darkness: despair at modern society leading people to betray friends, a malignant sort of contempt for human life with hundreds shot offhand like dogs and cremated or having organs removed while still alive, and some genuinely disturbing games (the tug of war was especially psychologically unsettling). It's a jet-black tale which I'm still thinking about two weeks later. What would pre-teens take away from it?

Our kids are mature enough to talk about this and they argued "we know it's not real, we're not going to become evil because we watch a programme". But they say that without knowing what the show is like. Maybe they would just revel in the gore rather than seeing past it, but there's no way to know, and once seen things can't be unseen. What if psychological maturity is needed to deflect the crushing darkness of the story?

I'm slightly surprised it's been given a '15' rating - 18 seems more appropriate when you stack everything up - and while I generally think 'each to their own', my view is that anyone who lets pre-teens watch this show is making the wrong call, no matter how much they badger you. I see the kids who have voted here say 14+, which I could probably live with.

I watched the first episode based on some comments I heard from friends that although it was violent there was some depiction of social issues both positive and negative. It already has a cult following which is a truly sad commentary on our society and what is acceptable.

Well it is a bit extreme but some can handle it

The series is very strong but you should be aware of the graphic gore, themes of sexual assault, as well some brief nudity. The series is quite intense when it comes to violence and adult topics, however it should be appropriate for a mature teens. The series features several complex but positive role models and approaches difficult ethical questions from several angles.

Squid Game (2021) is a Korean series following 456 cash strapped players gambling their lives in a series of 6 children’s games, however with a deadly twist. During each and every episode, expect lots of blood-soaked and gory violence, some form of language and on occasion some nudity and sexual content.

[EPISODE ONE - Red Light, Green Light]

VIOLENCE: SEVERE

A man is beat up and cornered in a bathroom and is shown being punched in the nose a few times causing it to bleed before one of the men sticks a needle up his nose and threatens to make blood soup. This doesn’t happen.

In the final segment, over 200 people are shot and killed during a game of Red Light, Green Light. Blood is shown gratuitously spraying out in up-close, gory shots as blood splatters on surrounding people, walls and the floors while people scramble and scream in terror, desperately trying to escape while being shot caking all of their surroundings in blood. Many of these shots are up-close and in your face and the sequence is incredibly intense, stressful and prolonged.

LANGUAGE: MILD

A few uses of “sh*t”, “a**hole”, “pr*ck” and “b*tch” although there are no uses of “f*ck”.

OVERALL: 14+ for a scene of realistically prolonged graphic violence

[EPISODE 2- Hell]

VIOLENCE: MODERATE

The violence in this episode is less gratuitous than the first, but all violent scenes are bloody.

A man has his hand stuck in a machine, crushing it and spraying blood everywhere. This is disturbing.

A man has hot coffee splashed on his face before a knife is held to his neck. He isn’t hurt but the woman threats him with violent actions.

A man is brutally stabbed over and over again spraying and splattering blood everywhere. This is the most graphic scene in the episode.

LANGUAGE: MODERATE

Around 3-4 uses of “f*ck” and use of “sh*t” accompanied with other milder profanities.

OVERALL: 13+ for some strong violence and for language

[EPISODE 3 - The Man with the Umbrella]

VIOLENCE: SEVERE

During a game, countless people are shot at point blank range with revolvers, realistically spraying and splattering blood everywhere. At a certain point, a corpse slides down a slide, trailing blood all the way down. This is a very prolonged and graphic sequence, covering a large portion of the episode (around 3/4) and almost all of it is nerve-wracking and gruesome.

Countless people are shot and mowed down before a man commits suicide by himself in the head. This is graphic like most of the episode.

LANGUAGE: MILD

Some moderate profanities.

OVERALL: 14+ for graphic violence throughout

[EPISODE 4 - Stick to the Team]

VIOLENCE: SEVERE

During the night time, a giant fight breaks out in the pitch black, also accompanied by flashing strobe lights. Countless people are viscous you stabbed, beaten to death, have their bones cracked, necks broken, throats slit, some have their heads smashed to a pulp and more, however the fast paced camera and strobe lights make it harder to tell what is happening during this sequence, therefore making it less graphic, however the scene is still incredibly violent and is the most graphic player on player violence scene in the show.

Around 2 dozen people plummet to their deaths during a game of tug of war, and their corpses are shown being cleaned up off the ground, some of them still being alive. This is very bloody, but one of the less graphic games. This is still graphic, just not for this particular show.

A brief surgical scene where an eyeball is shown being removed from a person who is supposedly still alive.

LANGUAGE: MODERATE

A few uses of “f*ck” paired with lesser profanities.

SEXUAL CONTENT: MODERATE

A man and a woman are shown having sex in a bathroom stall for quite a long time, however only the beginning and end of the scene is graphic, where the sex is explicitly shown from above, briefly exposing one of the woman’s breasts. Thrusting and moaning throughout the scene.

OVERALL: 14+ for strong bloody violence, sexual content, disturbing images and language

[EPISODE 5 - A Fair World]

VIOLENCE: MODERATE

A handful of people are shown being shot and killed throughout the second half of the episode, showing less graphic detail than usual but these scenes are still bloody. One scene depicts a mans throat being violently slit as well.

Multiple (slightly graphic) surgical scenes expose the insides of corpses, organs etc. while they are being operated on and cut. An up-close incursion with a scalpel is shown along with blood on the surgeon.

Less graphic than most episodes, similar to episode 2 but more graphic.

LANGUAGE: MILD

Possible use of “f*ck” and “sh*t”.

OVERALL: 13+ for violence and disturbing images

[EPISODE 6 - Gganbu]

VIOLENCE: MODERATE

Dead bodies are shown hanging on the ceiling for contestants to see. Some blood is shown, but this is more eerie than graphic.

Several people are shot at point blank range, some blood can be shown during these scenes but most of them are off screen, blurred out or in the background of a shot decreasing how graphic these scenes are. Blood is also shown splattered on environments during and after the game concludes. The deaths are much more sad than graphic.

LANGUAGE: MODERATE

A use of two of “f*ck” along with other milder profanities.

OVERALL: 12+ for violent content including some bloody images

[EPISODE 7- VIP’s]

VIOLENCE: SEVERE

Throughout the episode, several players plummet to their deaths suddenly after falling through glass. Most of the impact is offscreen, but the dead bodies are shown which can be very graphic. One shot depicts a corpses head completely smashed open, entirely exposing the brain.

A corpse is shown on a beach, some blood and wounds are shown on it.

LANGUAGE: SEVERE

Constant use of “f*ck” and “d*ck” throughout along with use of “b*tch”, “sh*t” and other swears in English and Korean, which is very surprising.

SEXUAL CONTENT: MODERATE

Completely nude women and half nude men are shown suggestive posing in a room, however they are completely painted over. They are shown leaning over people, crouching as chairs, posed suggestively and more.

A man brings another man into a room and pulls down his pants exposing his buttocks. He then grabs another mans head and lowers it to his crotch before the man grabs his crotch and aims a gun at his head, ending the scene.

References to the number “69” and other suggestive lines such as “if you can satisfy me in 5 minutes, I’ll change your life” during an attempted rape scene,

A room is colorfully painted with nude women, penises ejeculating colorful liquid near women’s crotches, detailed nude breasts and genitals. These images are all brief through the scenes and very hard to notice. These are mostly only seen if you pay close attention.

OVERALL: 14+ for disturbing images, sexuality, nudity and for language throughout

[EPISODE 8 - The Front Man]

VIOLENCE: MILD

A woman is shown bleeding, and pulls a large shard of glass out of her side. This isn’t explicitly shown, just the wound before and after along with blood dribbling onto the floor.

A man is shot in the shoulder and blood sprays out before he shoots the other man in the shoulder as well spraying blood causing him to fall into water. This isn’t graphic at all, and not fatal.

A woman is shown vigorously bleeding and passing out.

A woman is stabbed in the neck offscreen, and we see the killer looming over her with his knife with blood splattered on his face and the knife. We also see a closeup of blood pooled in her bed and a knife wound in her neck with blood pouring out. She is incinerated in a fire after death, but she is in a coffin and isn’t shown. This is the most graphic scene in the episode, but still stays on the milder side of things.

The entire episode stays on a hard PG-13 level for disturbing images.

LANGUAGE: MILD

Brief utterance of “b*llshit” and possibly one or two milder profanities.

12+ for disturbing images and for brief violence

[EPISODE 9 - One Lucky Day]

VIOLENCE: SEVERE

All of the heavy violence appears within the first 15 minutes.

2 main characters have a brutal fight where a man swings his knife at the another man before he grabs his arm and tries to pull the knife towards his face, but fails causing the man being restrained to slash him in the face with the knife. After this, one of the men is punched in the face and they both grab each other necks and pull each other around before one of the men are violently head butted. They both scream in pain before one of the men is repeatedly slammed and punched in the back and face causing the other man to counter attack him in the stomach followed by a series of punches to the back and stomach and after the man is punched in the face. They both restrain each other again with one of the men brutally bashing and punching the other man in the face and chest while he is still restrained and choked before they hit break free and fall to the ground. At this point they are both splattered in blood and injury. One man grabs his suit and violently strangles the other with it before he rolls out of the attack. After, they get up and thrash each other around follows by the one man getting a violent blow to face. After, the man kicks him into the ground and repeatedly bashed him before the other man grabs a knife and stabs him in the leg (this is where things get especially brutal and violent) and pulls it out before stabbing him again in the stomach before he is kicked in the face splattering blood on the ground below. After, he is kicked again. After this, the man attempts to stab him but instead the knife goes through his hand but is still pressed towards his face. However, the man bites off a chunk of the other mans foot and spits it out before getting punched in the face again before he pins the other man on the ground and repeatedly punches him in the face before taking his knife and stabbing the ground next to him as he can’t bring himself to kill him. After this, the other man takes the knife and stabs himself in the throat, spurting and dribbling blood out as he finally dies. This scene is incredibly prolonged, brutal, bloody, realistic and graphic, and not for the faint of heart.

A homeless man is shown freezing on the side of the road and dying.

An impaired old man in a hospital bed is grabbed and screamed at.

A man is repeatedly slapped in the face shown from a distance.

A man shoves another man up against a wall.

LANGUAGE: MILD

Some use of “f*ck” and use of “sh*t” and “b*llshit”.

OVERALL: 14+ for a scene of realistically prolonged brutal violence and for some language








OVERALL CONTENT: MODERATE - SEVERE

Bloody and disturbing violence throughout accompanied by gratuitous blood splatter and gory images, intense sequences of innocent people getting killed, countless scene of desperation, suspense all throughout with a few breaks, sudden loud noises, strobes, scary images and several surgical scenes showing graphic shots of organs, bodies sliced open, eyeballs and close-ups of incursion, prolonged scenes of strong brutal violence where people are viscously stabbed, beaten, shot, have their bones broken, have their throats slashed, some have their heads beaten to a pulp, a man has the back of his foot bitten off, 3 suicides appear through the series ranging from mild to graphic and more. Episodes range from a soft R rating to a hard R rating, with some having absence of frequent violence but still having bloody images and violence. The show also contains strong language such as “f*ck”, “motherf*ck” and “sh*t” along with use of “b*tch”, “pr*ck”, “wh*re”, “sl*t”, “d*ck”, “d*ckwad”, “f*ckwad”, “p*ssy” and mild language such as “h*ll”, “d*mn”, “a**” and “cr*p”. Some episodes contain infrequent language when some, like episode 7, have frequent and/or strong language. Episodes with strong language are episodes 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9 with episodes 7 having the most perverse language with more than a dozen uses of “f*ck”. Sexual content becomes more apparent as the show continues, with one scene of sex displaying brief female breast nudity, thrusting, moaning and shots displaying the full picture of the sex but no penetration or graphic shots are shown up close, only from afar. Other scenes of sexual content include completely nude women painted over for artistic purposes, breasts and buttocks shown. Another scene is of explicit drawings of male and female genitals ejaculating colorful liquid near the genitals of opposite sex and during this scene a man pulls his pants down and forces another to give him oral sex, but the other man grabs his crotch and stops him before anything really happens. Overall, the show would be rated R for prolonged sequences of strong brutal and bloody violence, some grisly images, language, some sexual content, nudity thematic material

This show is just fine. Nothing too special and I don't see the hype. The plot is nothing great but the characters are well written and acted.

VIOLENCE:(8/10) While there is minimal injury detail, in the first episode alone you get to see over 200 people get shot with clear bullet wounds, huge sprays of blood, and piles of bodies litter the floor. The violence is sadistic and is almost always acted out onto people who did not deserve it.
LANGUAGE:(5/10) Uses of sh*t and piss etc, nothing too bad and not too often
SEX:(6/10) There is one sex scene, and while it is far from pornographic (there is no nudity) it is still pretty bad, (similar to the movie 'Kick-Ass')