Police on Sunday warned that Squid Game, a popular South Korean survival drama on Netflix, contains violent scenes that could leave a negative impression on viewers.

A police spokesman said the popular series contains scenes unsuitable for viewing.

Characters on the show are violent, he said, noting the drama was given an 18+ rating.

Viewers, including youngsters, are glued to the screen as they spend a great deal of time indoors during the lockdown, he said.

He said the show has scenes of murder, and could lead viewers to engage in crimes in real life.

He also advised parents to keep an eye on their children's online activities, adding youngsters should not watch movies on the internet alone as they could copy the behaviour of the characters.

Squid Game was released worldwide on Sept 17 on Netflix. It features the story of people who fail at life receiving a mysterious invitation to play a survival game for a US$38 million (1.2 billion baht) prize.

On the show, characters play a set of children's games with deadly penalties for those who do not win.