<p>“MTV’s much-anticipated show “Skins” could be in hot water with the Parents Television Council for showing too much skin, drugs, sex and other scandalous things that have executives and advertisers wondering if the show goes too far.”</p>
<p>Parents, have you or any of your children seen this show? Some critics say it violates child pornography laws. What’s your opinion, or at least that of your children?</p>
<p>My kids love the British version of this show (the original), but I’m not sure if they’ve seen the American version. British version = lots of underage sex, drinking, drug use, etc. Not very “realistic” to most teen-agers, IMO - but great voyeurism. Kind of the “what not to do” of teen programming. It is a show that is meant to be over the top and push grown-ups buttons - and it appears that it has! Frankly, if the American version is anywhere close to the British version, I’m surprised that it even aired. Yes, my kids (15 and 18) watch it - No, they haven’t run out to copy any of the behaviour.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen it but my guess is that all the hoopla and talk about prohibiting such shows will likely result in even more kids watching it! If my kids were still teens and had any interest in watching it, I wouldn’t object. I have never been a fan of censorship or of having my teens living in an all-protective bubble.</p>
<p>Well my kids wouldn’t be watching it if they were still home. I don’t know how I could go to work all day at MTV and endorse this kind of crap that’s being sold to our kids. Do these people have kids? Do they have a conscience?</p>
<p>There’s something called “norming” (not sure if that’s the exact term) that can affect teen behavior - anyone’s behavior actually. If you are lead to believe that a certain behavior or activity is “normal” for your group (your age, etc), you are more likely to engage in that behavior.</p>
<p>Kids watch shows like this (or My Super Sweet 16) and get the idea that this kind of behavior is normal. Even if they know the show is “over the top” they still get the impression that a milder version of this behavior is standard for their age. But it’s not true! </p>
<p>Our hs did a survey that showed that 50% of kids had sex before they graduated. You know what? That means 50% did NOT have sex! </p>
<p>Kids think “everyone” is doing it - sex, drugs, drinking, whatever - and feel like its fine for them to do it too. Or like there’s something wrong with them for not doing it. BUT ITS NOT TRUE! But the more kids think that “everyone does it”, the more kids do it, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. </p>
<p>This was a battle our hs health teacher was waging constantly. </p>
<p>Frankly, if my child lives at home and is not yet an adult, my forbidding certain TV shows isn’t censoring. It’s called PARENTING. There are behaviors of which I do not approve, and allowing my kids to watch other kids acting like that is NOT reinforcing the messages I want them to receive.</p>
<p>Parents, stop trying to be “cool.” Stop being your kids’ friend and be their PARENT. It’s your job.</p>
<p>I like to watch teen shows with my daughter and mock them. This is particularly effective for absurd shows like One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars, and (the most absurd) Secret Life of an American Teenager. I don’t know if I’ll try it with this one or not.</p>
<p>I think the British version of Skins “works” a lot better than the American version. The American version tries way too hard and is just plain gross, imo. I haven’t seen the American version of Shameless, but I think the British version probably works better with the council estate background, etc (a concept the U.S. doesn’t really have).</p>
<p>I watched it online so that I could comment with impunity.</p>
<p>Lafalum, your post was spot-on. The show was actually not as racy as I expected; the problem I had with it is that it “normalizes” the idea that all 16-year-olds must have sex and do drugs. Why do we as a society want to promote those ideas? If someone can provide a reasonable answer, I’m all ears.</p>
<p>P.S.
I was multi-tasking while watching it, but I don’t recall any mention of birth control at all. Who are these MTV producer people, anyway? Don’t they have a conscience?</p>
<p>I kept a much lower age rating on our cable parent controls based on one week walking into the family room and finding kids watching what MTV thought was appropriate for kids to watch. It’s not ‘sex’ that bothers me; it’s the context of drunken, loveless sex which bothers me.</p>
<p>What I used to really hate would be watching some TV show with my kid and some advertisement for girls gone wild would come on the TV which was just wildly inappropriate to the content we were actually watching at the time. I don’t know what these TV producers are thinking. They say, “It’s not up to us to make sure your kids don’t watch, it’s up to you.” And then, no matter what you do…can’t win. I say turn off the TV and play some card games.</p>