Parents' Guide to

Squid Game

TV Netflix Action 2021
Squid Game Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Joly Herman By Joly Herman , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

K-thriller has extreme violence, sex, some moral lessons.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 15+

Based on 111 parent reviews

age 16+

16+

I personally really liked it as a 19-year old, but i definitely don’t think it’s for kids. I know for a fact that if i was still 13, i would’ve watched it at school with friends and i would’ve been fine i think but i don’t see a point of kids seeing this much graphic violence. Some parents and kids reviews saying it’s 10-12+ make me kinda sad, i would not let a kid that young watch it, even if they are ’mature’ this kind of violence and dehumanization still affects your brain in a way or another, especially in kids whose brains are developing in a very important way at that age. 16-18+ in my opinion.
age 18+

Disgusting

Full of extreme violence and gore. All the characters are just plain evil. I couldn’t get past the 3rd episode. Traumatized me. Please stay away from this.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (111 ):
Kids say (329 ):

Though too violent for young teens, there are some moral lessons peeking out behind the lines in this series. In Squid Game, the play between the clownish, down-on-his-luck main character, Gi-hun, and the cold killer behind the game he's lured into creates an intriguing tension. The characters are nicely developed, and the production value of the series is extremely sleek. The human element lends depth.

But there is a lot of torture and murder to endure -- no subtlety there -- and the violence can come off as gratuitous. Some predictable plot points distract from the fine acting and the high-minded concept. Fans of dystopian thrillers will enjoy this series. Sensitive or younger viewers should avoid this one.

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate