Does Children's Suicide Bomber Reenactment Game Glamorize Violence?

Kids have played war games since the dawn of time. But a shocking video from Pakistan in which children are shown acting out a mock Taliban suicide bombing is causing a stir and raising questions about what kinds of combat play is appropriate.

England’s Daily Mail reported that the 84-second viral video shows a group of Pashtun children recreating a terrorist attack (see video below). In the scenario, a boy in black playing the bomber is hugged by his friends before leaving for his mission. He then approaches another boy, dressed in white, who is playing a stand-in for security forces.

As other boys toss sand in the air to simulate an explosion, the bomber sets off his bomb and other children rush in to attend to the dead. A Pashtun from Waziristan who received the clip on his phone from a friend said he posted the video on Facebook because he “thought it was funny.”

Children’s advocates were alarmed by the thought that children are now glamorizing suicide bombers. But one Pakistani media expert lauded its sophistication and creativity at reproducing the chaotic life these children lead.

Is it OK for these children to play suicide bomber games?