MTV to Debut American Skins

 

The PTC has repeatedly warned parents about Skins, a soap opera featuring extremely explicit teenage sex, drinking, drug use and profanity. A hit in its native Britain, Skins has been playing on the BBC America network, which has limited distribution on American cable and satellite systems. But now, cable network MTV has announced that it will begin producing its own version of the graphic program. 

 

Coyly described in an MTV press release as a series about teens “trying to grow up and find love and happiness,” the first two seasons of the show’s British version featured teens smuggling drugs in their anal cavities, having sex with their teachers, and getting abortions, among other things. The first episode of Skins’ new season showed its teenage lead character showing off his genitals in front of his high-school assembly. Speaking admiringly about the show’s “unusually authentic stories,” MTV’s vice-president boasted that she is “beyond thrilled” at bringing Skins to the U.S. The MTV version will use American actors and seek story ideas from teenagers in its bid to glamorize the Skins sensibility to American teens.

 

MTV is one of the most widely-viewed cable and satellite networks, not only among older teens but children as well. By producing its own version of Skins – as well as its ongoing glorification of drinking and sex in shows like The Real World – MTV is exposing millions of youngsters to images and content that cannot help but warp their perceptions of life, and encourage negative behavior that youngsters may one day regret.

 

► WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT! To read examples from Skins episodes, click here and here.