The growth of over-the-top (OTT) media services has brought a new form of video content. People no longer go to the theater because they enjoy movies at home. Some video contents such as movies and dramas are not aired on TV but exclusively released through OTT services.
With this flow, Korea released video content that has recently become popular around the world. The most representative programs are D.P. and Squid Game. Since both contain violent and cruel scenes, they were rated respectively for viewing ages over 15 and 19. However, concerns are being raised around the age rating system.
The controversy began with elementary school students describing behavior in the dramas. They used swear words from D.P. like a trend. There was also a case of hitting friends who failed while playing ‘red light, green light’ to imitate the scene in Squid Game. As imitating certain media among children becomes popular, violence has become a kind of play culture.
Unlike movie theaters, which have strict admission according to age, OTT services are hard to regulate. Since OTT services have a structure in which multiple people can share one account, it is easy to access rated videos compared to other media. The development of SNS is also a major factor influencing the issue. Through SNS such as TikTok and YouTube, children are exposed to a system where they can easily access reproduced content and related products.
I think that it is time to consider the role of adults. Nowadays, it is very natural for certain content to spread into a trend. So, I think it is hard to prevent consumption of the content itself. Instead, let us respect the culture between children, but do our part as adults by helping correct the negative aspects.
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