The series Squid Game was not submitted to the Voluntary Self-Control of the Film Industry (FSK) for examination, the FSK points out. Accordingly, the series did not receive any FSK approval.
Squid Game is a great success for Netflix - and it is also pulling other series with it, such as Alice in Borderland. On Halloween and Carnival, the red suits from the series are among this year's costume highlights. Squid Game is on everyone's lips and omnipresent in social media - there is a lot of praise, but also harsh criticism. The latter especially for the explicit representation of violence in several scenes.
FSK: No legal submission requirement
According to the voluntary self-regulation of the film industry, an examination by the FSK is voluntary and can be requested by all providers of cinematic content. There is no legal obligation to submit. The reference becomes relevant because apparently many children watch the Netflix hit series, but experts believe they shouldn't do it. As extraordinary as Squid Game may be and as profound as the messages the series wants to convey, the plot is enriched with brutal scenes. ZDF reported that children at a daycare center in Hamburg were reenacting the series. According to this, experts demanded an FSK age rating from 16 years - but there is no such thing because Squid Game was not submitted for examination. However, Netflix itself assigns the series to this minimum age.
Providers in the online area can assess their own content as to whether it is developmentally impeding for children or young people of a certain age. The provider Netflix shows the series in its streaming offer with the age rating "16". "This is not an age rating of the FSK," says the voluntary self-regulation.
At the center of the Voluntary Self-Control of the Film Industry (FSK) are voluntary age approval tests for filmic content, which in Germany are intended for public screening and distribution via other distribution channels. On the basis of the Youth Protection Act and the FSK principles, a decision is made in transparent and independent testing procedures about approval for five age groups. The FSK age ratings from 0, 6, 12, 16 and 18 years make the work of the FSK known to a broad public. The examination takes place on request. There is no legal obligation to submit.
The FSK is also involved in the online area and offers an extensive range of information and services for the protection of minors on the Internet. As FSK.online, it is a recognized voluntary self-regulation organization for web offers based on the State Treaty on Youth Media Protection.
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