Is SMG4 harmless comedy or too dark for younger viewers?

SMG4 is a long-running YouTube animation series, made by a creator and a team of collaborators, that uses characters from video games, mainly Nintendo's, in absurd comedy sketches and ongoing stories. It has attracted a large audience of children, teenagers and adults. The question is whether its humour is harmless fun or has content that makes it unsuitable for younger viewers [check: confirm the description of the channel and the age rating YouTube shows before publishing].

Defenders say the series is silly, slapstick comedy in the tradition of cartoons, with obviously unreal violence that is meant to be funny and not realistic. They point to its parody of games and internet culture, its creativity and community, and the fact that many viewers grow up with it without harm. They add that parents can judge for themselves and that most content is clearly marked as comedy.

Critics say some episodes include crude jokes, strong language, cartoon violence, dark or edgy themes and references that younger children may not understand or may find disturbing. They say that characters familiar from children's games can lead families to assume the content is for young children, when it is not, and that the algorithm may show these videos to children without warning.

Both sides agree that children differ in age and sensitivity, and that parents have the best knowledge of what suits their child. Platforms use age ratings and "made for kids" settings, but these are imperfect and creators are responsible for how they label their videos. Research on media and children suggests that the effects depend on the child, the type of content and the context in which it is watched.

If you take part in this debate, it helps to say which videos and which ages you mean, and what you would count as too dark, such as violence, language, themes or the way the material is presented.