Has MTV Gone Too Far with "Skins"?

Remember when MTV actually showed music videos? These days, the popular cable channel may as well rename itself to PTV for Pornographic Television, mainly due to its latest television show on called "Skins" which is being evaluated by the Parents Television Council for child pornography. Originally based on a British show of the same name and concept, "Skins" is not exactly family viewing but would be better suited to an X-rated movie theatre for its content. Even Taco Bell is pulling their advertisement spots from this program on MTV. Not surprisingly, the popular chain of Mexican food restaurants prefers not to associate with smut targeted towards children on television, and that is completely understandable. The PTC has requested that the Department of Justice and United States Senate and House Judiciary Committee open an investigation on MTV and charge the program's producers on child pornography charges.

MTV spokeswoman Jeannie Kedas claims "Skins" will help teens deal with problems such as illicit sex and drugs, but the reality is that it will encourage more teens to engage in anti-social, destructive behaviors. Once upon a time in America, teens simply did not do these sort of things simply because they were not exposed to such material. The Justice Department has reason to be wary of such smut coming from cable television, since it will also encourage more pedophiles to think that it is acceptable for children to be having sex. What remains unasked, is the question of why MTV was not aware that this particular British program, while seen as being legal in the United Kingdom, is being seen as breaching federal laws that are meant to protect children from being exposed to sexually explicit material. MTV has claimed that "Skins" will have an TV-MA rating, which means that the program contains material unsuitable for anyone under the age of 17, even though the program itself has actors and actresses portraying teens much younger than 17. MTV also claims "Skins" will be aired at 10:00 PM but that does not really help anyone, since so many teens in the nation have a television set in their bedroom and can sneak watching anything they want while trying to fall asleep in bed.

The Parents Television Council protested "Skins" in its early days even before it aired on television. Concerned parents would never want their children learning how to do drugs, drink alcohol, and have sex, all actions of which are considered illegal to anyone under the age of 18. Not too many cable television shows require the attention of the FCC, but this one has. Any program that depicts children engaging in suggestive or sexual acts themselves should be banned, for this is not the sort of thing children need to know about. The quality of cable television programing has gone downhill enough as it is without the introduction of child porn shows on the air. Studies have shown that the more television with sexual content kids watch, the more likely they are to engage in sexual activity, even though it is by law, illegal. Individuals under the age of 18 are not considered mentally mature enough to consent to having sex since they are not aware of what they are doing.

Cable programs such as "15 and Pregnant", "Sex and the City", "The Real World", "Jersey Shore", "That 70's Show", "Friends", "Secret Life of the American Teenager" all contain highly explicit sexual material involving children that can be construed as illegal and pornographic. Children, especially teens, do not need to be exposed to anything of a sexual nature as it will wind up in more than just heartache for them: at that age, young individuals are just nowhere near ready for a mature relationship that is based on real love, not sex. Since sex and love remain mutually exclusive in our society (one need not be in love to have sex, and neither does sex require an emotional or mental attraction to another person), when teens actually see "relationships" based upon sex and little else, it is no surprise when breakups occur, especially when a teen girl gets pregnant. Too scared to take responsibility for their actions, the girl may hide her condition as best as possible from her parents and teachers, while the boy may just up and leave town, never to be seen nor heard from ever again. The United States still has the highest rate of unwed teen pregnancies in the western world, thanks to the sexual promiscuity of popular culture.

The point is this: "Skins" from MTV may be the final wake-up call to parents who are sick of their kids being exposed to popular culture that they know is destructive to teens. Young minds do not need to be filled with smut, especially when they cannot make mature decisions for themselves. What they do need is proper guidance and nurturing from their elders, and Hollywood must start taking responsibility here. Making money off of marketing sex to children is unethical and immoral, not just pornographic by FCC standards. Given how many families are trying to save money nowadays, especially on things such as cable television bills, it would not be surprising if more of them will continue to slash those bills for better quality entertainment (eliminate cable television in favor of video rentals). What Hollywood cannot make money off of, will force them to rethink what they can and will market to impressionable teens and children in America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/business/media/20mtv.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=skins&st=cse

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1791507

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/taco-bell-pulls-ads-mtv-74037

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/mtv-addresses-internal-concerns-over-racy-new-series-skins--2151?nc