School Bans KPop Demon Hunters Songs For Their Demon-Themed Content

If there's one thing history has taught us, it's that censorship is always a good idea, hardly ever problematic, and definitely makes kids less interested in whatever it is you're trying to ban. So it is that the young minds of the Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, Dorset, are being well-served by the adults charged with cultivating their fledgling development. The school has taken the brave step of banning students from singing "KPop Demon Hunter" songs because, contrary to what you might think, the threats facing youth these days are not global warming or income inequality or the increasingly fractured nature of our global society, but literal demons.

As the BBC reports, the infant school (kindergarten through to third grade for U.S. readers) has decided the songs of the massively popular Netflix hit movie "KPop Demon Hunters" are not upholding the "Christian ethos" of the institution. Parents received a message explaining how members of the community felt "deeply uncomfortable" with the songs' demon references due to their association with "spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness." The message then asked parents to ensure their children didn't sing the songs at school "out of respect for those who find the themes at odds with their faith."

"KPop Demon Hunters" has become nothing short of a phenomenon and is fast-becoming a replacement for Netflix's biggest IP, "Stranger Things," which is set to wrap up after its fifth season this year. The movie has become the most successful of all time on the streamer, racking up 325.1 million views and even topping the box office following a rare theatrical release. All of which God is presumably watching with indignation. Thankfully, the Lilliput Church of England Infant School is here to uphold Christian values by banning kids from singing.

"KPop Demon Hunters," which has become so popular it's forced Netflix to do something it's avoided, follows fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, who in their spare time hunt demons and help maintain a barrier between the real world and the demon realm. The film sees HUNTR/X face off against rival boy band the Saja Boys, a group made up of demons in disguise, which poses the biggest threat to the tenuous balance established by HUNTER/X's forebears. Oh, and one of the girl group members is half-demon — a trait she tries to hide from everyone, including her bandmates, but ends up embracing towards the end of the movie.

It's a pretty straightforward allegory for anyone who's ever felt even a little different coming to accept themselves. Well, not for the Lilliput Church of England Infant School, which is sticking to its original decision despite widespread negative feedback from parents.

In an update released following the initial message, acting head teacher Lloyd Allington said he'd heard from parents who argued against the ban, but that nothing would change. "While we fully respect your right to make choices about the content your child engages with at home, we also want to be mindful of the diversity of beliefs within our school community," Allington wrote. "For some Christians, references to demons can feel deeply uncomfortable because they associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness." In a remarkable piece of casuistry, the acting head went on to say that while parents should not encourage their children to stop listening to the songs, or even persuade them that there's "anything wrong with enjoying the film," the school would continue to try to "help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views."

"KPop Demon Hunters" was given a rare theatrical release for a Netflix movie in August of 2025, when a sing-along version debuted in theaters, allowing kids to come together and embrace their love for the songs as a community. The film brought in $19.2 million during that one weekend and solidified its standing as one of the biggest things Netflix has ever released. But HUNTR/X never reckoned with the might of the Lilliput Church of England Infant School, which is doing everything it can to put a stop to kids enjoying things.

Look, it might well be the case that some students and/or teachers don't like the demon references, but once you get into the business of trying to accommodate feelings of this sort, you immediately have to contend with everyone's feelings. Does the school not think some children/parents are offended by the idea of literally stopping children from singing? What policy is Mr. Allington going to enact to address those viewpoints? It's not worth wading into these murky waters in the first place, and while nobody outside of the Lilliput School's staff, students, and parents are going to be affected by any of this, it does speak to much wider cultural concerns about censorship, which in 2025 is surely something we can agree has never really led to anything good — except maybe some bizarrely hilarious Anime moments.

Thankfully, the Lilliput School isn't in charge of programming at Netflix, so we don't need to worry too much. Now, had the school banned "KPop Demon Hunter" songs on the basis of them being over-produced, uber-commercialized noise, we might be able to get on board with this policy. As it stands, however, that is very much not the school's stance.