Copycat Behavior and Somatic Symptoms in Italian Children Exposed to a Violent TV Series: An Observational Study of Squid Game Viewers
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-particularly those prone to somatic distress-from unsupervised access to violent, age-inappropriate content. Media literacy for parents and educators, and longitudinal studies including non-viewers are recommended.
Authors
- Michele Roccella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7371-0228)
- Luigi Vetri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-3396)
- Carola Costanza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9200-2772)
- B. Gallai
- Giuditta Bargiacchi
- Lucia Parisi
- Marco Carotenuto
- Daniela Smirni
- Antonella Gagliano
- Davide Testa
- Giulia Pisanò
- Valentina Baldini
- Eva Germanò
- Martina Gnazzo
Institutions
- University of Messina (IT)
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- Università degli Studi di Enna Kore (IT)
- University of Perugia (IT)
- Oasi Maria SS (IT)
- Ospedale degli Infermi (IT)
- Italian Society of Physiotherapy (IT)
- University of Palermo (IT)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pediatric Reports
- Published
- 2026-01-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric18010017
- Primary Topic
- Child Development and Digital Technology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Università degli Studi di Palermo