KFCB vs Squid Game: Why Netflix Hit Has Regulator Worried

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) isn’t as enthusiastic about hit Netflix series Squid Game as the rest of the world.

The regulator has warned parents in Kenya about letting their children watch the show. KFCB argued that children may decide to replicate some of the dangerous and violent scenes contained in the show.

The South Korean series has become a global phenomenon since it was launched on September 17. Netflix confirmed that it was the biggest series launch in their history, with over 111 million accounts having viewed the show within its first month on the platform.

“Netflix has self-rated Squid Game 18+ with notes for suicide, violence and sex to advise viewers that are 18 and above that the content could be disturbing,’’  noted Acting KFCB CEO Christopher Wambua.

With various Squid Game inspired trends popping up across social media, Wambua cautioned parents to monitor what their children were looking at more closely.

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“If parents give their children access to smartphones and online streaming platforms such as Netflix, they must take deliberate steps to monitor what their young ones, especially minors, are consuming in order to guide them accordingly and make use of the wide parental controls offered on the service.

‘’As a result, the risk of children now imitating or re-enacting scenes in the game from the series has become real. While seemingly innocent, this may lead to escalation of violence and other vices as depicted in the series, causing grave harm to the children, including death,” he stated.

Netflix has features designed to limit access to adult-only shows, including kids profiles.

The success of Squid Game has been seen as a major boost for Netflix in its global strategy. The service has been expanding to new markets including Kenya where it launched the world’s first free Netflix mobile plan in September.

“When we first started investing in Korean series and films in 2015, we knew we wanted to make world-class stories for the core K-content fans across Asia and the world. ‘Today, ‘Squid Game’ has broken through beyond our wildest dreams,” Netflix’s vice president of content for Asia Pacific Minyoung Kim told CNN in a recent interview.

The global plan is designed to grow their market share in other regions with its home market of the U.S witnessing increased competition from services including Disney+ and HBO Max among others.

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