MTV's new show Skins is a hot, sexy hit... but a lot of people are concerned that it's also breaking serious child pronography laws.
Just like "The Office," "Skins" is a remake of an English TV show with the same name. The show takes teen sexuality to a whole new level, never before seen on American TV. MTV is known for pushing boundaries (AKA sinking to new lows) on shows like The Real World and Jersey Shore. Some would say that those shows are geared for adults and that teens shouldn't be watching them anyway, but Skins is clearly marketed toward teens.
The executives at MTV have demanded that producers tame down some of the episodes because they're afraid they're breaking child pornography laws. Executives are especially concerned with episode 3 in the series, due to air on Jan. 31st - the running joke in the show is about one of the teen agers taking erectile dysfunction pills - then later the 17-year-old actor is seen running down the street naked, from behind.
Child pronography is defined as pretty much any visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicity conduct... including video and photos. Some of the cast members of the show are as young as 15 and are definately engaging in sexually explicit conduct. I mean the teen actors are basically playing horny, sexually active teenagers... but are they breaking laws? Who do you charge? The producers? The writers? The actors engaging in the activity?
MTV has responded, saying... "Skins is a show that addresses real-world issues confronting teens in a frank way. We review all of our shows and work with all of our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards. We are confident that the episodes of 'Skins' will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers."
Like just about every show that comes to the states from the UK - everyone says that the remake isn't as good as the original series.
Have you seen Skins? Does it go too far? Does it break the law? What about artistic expression? Movies depict teens in sexual situations all the time. It's not like we haven't seen it before but should MTV be pushing boundaries like this?
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