Parents outraged over 'disturbing' item in five-year-old's party bags
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
Picking up a goodie bag at the end of a birthday party is the highlight of the event for many kids.
However, a set of concerned parents has been left questioning how appropriate the contents of a bag at a five-year?-old's Minecraft-themed birthday party are.
"Is this as messed up as we think it is?" they asked others online, sharing a photo of the 'disturbing' sticker that caught their attention.
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"My son went to a Minecraft-themed birthday party," the parents explained in a post to Reddit.
?Since its release in 2011, Minecraft has remained one of the most popular video games in history with over 140 million monthly active players, many of which are young kids.
?These particular parents explained that they weren't familiar with the game, and weren't alarmed about the theme until their child got home and opened the goodie bag.
"We know nothing about Minecraft. Is this as messed up as we think it is?" they asked, alongside a photo of a sticker.
One of the stickers in the bag was of a Minecraft character ?crying, with a deceased dog lying in front of him.
The dog had been stabbed by a sword.
"Can someone please give me some context here?" the mum pleaded.
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It seems the scene depicted in the sticker, would only be understood by players of the game, as explained to the parents.
"Every Minecraft player ever has accidentally slain their own doggo with a misplaced swing," a fan of the game shared on the post. "A little morbid for a five-year-old's birthday party but it's relatable to Minecraft players."
The post then lead to a heated debate about whether it was a suitable addition to a young child's goodie bag.
"This definitely seems out of place for a kids' gift bag," one person commented.
"Could raise a lot of unwanted questions a little too early," another pointed out.
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Others questioned the parents of the birthday boy, calling them out for including the sticker, "This is poor taste."
Some felt it wasn't the parents' fault.
"They sell packs of 100 or so stickers. Parents probably got some of these, and then just put random stickers in the bag, not looking.
"It probably wasn't on purpose, just ignorance."
While Minecraft is generally recommended for kids aged eight and up, experts say it can be played safely.
"Using Minecraft in single-player mode does not put a child in any danger. There is no interaction with others; therefore, all risk is eliminated," said Safe on Social. "As parents, you need to know what version of Minecraft your child uses and monitor their use of the game.?"
"Like all online gaming, the best way to keep your child safe playing Minecraft is to spend some time playing Minecraft with your child.?"
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