PTC Reacts to Netflix CEO’s Answer to “13 Reasons Why” During Shareholder Meeting

LOS ANGELES (June 7, 2019) – In response to the Netflix shareholders meeting during which CEO Reed Hastings answered a question submitted by the Parents Television Councilabout “13 Reasons Why,” Parents Television Council President Tim Winter issued the following response:

“While we appreciate that the one and only question you chose to address during your annual shareholder meeting came from us, the answer you gave is morally and logically bankrupt. If the link between an increase in teen suicides and one of your television programs is ‘critically important,’ as you suggest, then why is it still being distributed on your platform 37 days after NIH published their findings? The responsible thing to do is remove the program from your platform immediately, and keep it off until the program is proven not to be harmful to children.”

The PTC submitted the following question during the Netflix shareholders meeting: Now that the National Institutes of Health has released its findings linking season 1 of “13 Reasons Why” with a 30% increase in suicides among children ages 10-17, what are the board of directors and management of Netflix prepared to do about “13 Reasons?”

In response, Mr. Hastings dodged the concerns about removing the show from the platform, saying that he has seen the study, that he knows that this is a “critically important” topic and that they have worked hard to ensure that they have handled this sensitive topic appropriately.

Related: PTC to Netflix Board of Directors: You Are Now Accountable for Keeping Teen-Targeted Suicide Drama on Platform