{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T01:01:27Z","timestamp":1791334887234,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769731200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pediatric Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Violent TV series and streaming content are increasingly accessible to children, raising concerns about behavioral imitation and psychological effects. This study examined copycat behaviors and associated emotional and somatic symptoms among children who reported watching the age-restricted series Squid Game. Methods: In this observational study of 228 Italian primary school children (aged 8\u201311), 128 who had watched Squid Game formed the analytic sample. They were categorized into a Copycat Behavior (CB) group or a Non-Copycat Behavior (NCB) group based on self-reported imitation of scenes or games from the series. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Group differences were assessed using Mann\u2013Whitney U tests, and gender distribution was compared with Chi-square tests (\u03b1 = 0.05). Results: Among viewers, 42 children (32%) engaged in imitation behaviors, typically reenacting game-based violent scenes with friends (52%), siblings (28%), or classmates (20%). Age and gender distributions did not differ between groups. The CB group scored slightly higher on the CBCL Somatic Complaints scale compared with the NCB group (M = 54.12 vs. 52.92; U = 1414.5, p = 0.033), although this difference was small. No significant differences emerged on other CBCL syndrome or broadband scales. Conclusions: Among children engaging in copycat behaviors exhibited a small, subclinical increase in somatic complaints. While causality cannot be inferred, the findings highlight the need to protect vulnerable children\u2014particularly those prone to somatic distress\u2014from unsupervised access to violent, age-inappropriate content. Media literacy for parents and educators, and longitudinal studies including non-viewers are recommended.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pediatric18010017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T08:19:38Z","timestamp":1769761178000},"page":"17","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Copycat Behavior and Somatic Symptoms in Italian Children Exposed to a Violent TV Series: An Observational Study of Squid Game Viewers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Martina","family":"Gnazzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80131 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0624-3038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuditta","family":"Bargiacchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0121-3396","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luigi","family":"Vetri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e0 Ospedaliera Complessia\u2014Neuro Psichiatria dell\u2019Infanzia e dell\u2019Adolescenza\u2014ASP Enna, Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of Nicosia, 94014 Nicosia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Parisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Davide","family":"Testa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4410-2047","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Smirni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agata","family":"Maltese","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5795-5834","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valentina","family":"Baldini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Carlo Pepoli 5, 40123 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2730-2791","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Pisan\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eva","family":"German\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of the Adult and Developmental Age Human Pathology, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Beatrice","family":"Gallai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Gagliano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, \u201cKore\u201d 90 University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9200-2772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carola","family":"Costanza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7371-0228","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michele","family":"Roccella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8136-7597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Carotenuto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80131 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"Italian Society of Pediatric Psychology (SIPPed), 90121 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"392","DOI":"10.1097\/00004583-200104000-00007","article-title":"Impact of Media on Children and Adolescents: A 10-Year Review of the Research","volume":"40","author":"Villani","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. 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