MTV’s new cover of the popular British teen show, Skins, is facing controversy, and possibly legal problems. MTV likes to make a splash, but when the words “child pornography” are being whispered about a show (some of the stars of the racy new drama are under eighteen) it’s enough to give any network executive a few second thoughts. MTV’s website describes the show as something that will appeal to teens who are, “pining for a teen series that’s grittier and more grounded in reality.”
But adult critics have begun to question exactly how “grounded in reality” the show is. ”It’s a show about teenagers and it’s created for teenagers and I think it goes pretty far,” family therapist Terry Real said on Good Morning America. ”I think you have to raise kids to be what I call media literate and sexually literate. It’s [MTV'S "Skins"] kind of like peer pressure on steroids,” Real added.
“I think that it is terribly important that we let our kids know that this is in fact not the norm,” he said. ”The concern for the boys is that the idea here is very clearly that even the young boys 14, 15, 16 are up for sex anywhere, anytime with anyone,” Real said. “I think that’s a lot of pressure for our sons to have to deal with.”
While these are all legitimate concerns, a lot of young fans of the new show claim that this is, in fact, the world they see.
“That’s just really how life is except not to their extremes,” a teen informed ABC News. ”You can’t say I don’t want them to watch this because then they’ll do it. She might already be doing that. You can’t say it’s all television,” another teen added.
MTV is defending the show, but rumors are already circulating that they plan to tone it down, particularly since they’ve already lost a major advertiser, Taco Bell. But, in the meantime, what’s a parent to do? We all know banning shows like Skins just makes them more enticing. Forbidden fruit that appeals to the rebellious teenage spirit.
Instead, consider watching Skins with your teen if they want to watch the show. Turn this proactive show into a conversation starter that will allow you to have some important conversations with your kids about sex and drugs and alcohol. Skins might very well turn into a useful parenting tool, rather than a thorny parenting problem.
