Jonna Johnson, the principal of the district’s Mott Road Elementary School, informed parents of the ban in an email last week after observing students playing versions of the games depicted in the series.
“I agree with them banning people playing these games at school and banning the costumes at activities this coming weekend, but there’s always some movie or TV show that parents get upset about and don’t want their kids exposed to,” she said.
Larissa Brenner, a parent of two Fayetteville-Manlius middle schoolers, said the ban was in line with the school’s existing policies.
Schools in other countries, including Ireland and Canada, have also issued warnings about “Squid Game,” urging parents to pay attention to what their children are consuming.
“We often forget how much children love scary and creepy things,” said Carly Kocurek, an associate professor of digital humanities and media studies at Illinois Institute of Technology.
Patrick Markey, a professor of psychology at Villanova University, said that violence in popular culture is often an “easy scapegoat” for violence in the real world.