Prepare to be shocked.  Or not.  There is something disturbing going on in playgrounds south of the border.  Remember 'kissing tag,' the exhilarating chase game that culminated in a peck by (if you were lucky) a cute boy.   Well, the new variant isn't quite so cute.  

'Rape tag' does just what it says on the label.  Instead of kissing or freezing, the kid has to humped to be unfrozen.

A shocked parent alerted a Minnesota elementary school after witnessing the game in action.

Principal of Washington Elementary School in New Ulm, Bill Sprung then had the fun task of sending a letter home to parents describiing the phenomenon.  

“This age level of kids—10, 11, 12 is a time when kids start to mature; start to experiment," said Sprung. "Part of that experimentation is that they do things we wish they wouldn’t have done.”

And although teachers and recess supervisors managed to nix the game, parents were galled to have to discuss the term rape with their Grade fivers.

Kids are growing up faster than ever.  Most of the kids probably didn't understand what they were doing, someone 11 year old among them, incredibly, knew enough to name the game.  

“Kids are known for pushing the offensiveness envelope, and I’m sure the ones at Washington thought they were being hilarious. Let’s hope they’ve learned that rape isn’t ... funny,” wrote Anna North at Jezebel.

One commentator described playing a game called 'Suicidal Toys' in kindergarten.  Others worried that such games sowed the seeds for darker, frat-like behaviour later in life.

Harmless play or a telltale that today's kids are navigating darker terrain than we did 20 years ago?