MTV's new show 'Skins' under fire for potential child porn violation: report

NEWSCORE Last Updated: 7:44 PM, January 20, 2011

In the wake of a mounting scandal over a possible child pornography investigation of MTV as a result of the racy new show “Skins,” Taco Bell has opted to pull all of its advertising from the program, FOXNews.com reported Thursday.

Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch told The Hollywood Reporter: “We advertise on a variety of MTV programs that reach our core demographic of 18- to 34-year-olds, which included the premiere episode of ‘Skins.’

"Upon further review, we’ve decided that the show is not a fit for our brand and have moved our advertising to other MTV programming," he added.

After the premiere of the racy teen TV show "Skins," the Parents Television Council (PTC) is calling for a federal investigation into whether the MTV series violates child pornography laws, TMZ reported Thursday.

On Thursday, media watchdog group The Parents Television Council called on lawmakers and law enforcement officials to open an investigation regarding possible child pornography on the cable network’s newest series.

The show features several teenage actors engaging in “foul language, illegal drug use, illegal activity as well as thoroughly pervasive sexual content,” PTC President Tim Winter said in a letter sent to the chairmen of the US Senate and House Judiciary Committees and the Department of Justice.

The news of Taco Bell’s decision follows a series of panicked meetings that the New York Times claimed took place at MTV headquarters Tuesday, where executives even went so far as to discuss criminal charges.

In a statement released Thursday, MTV defended the show, which they claim 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," the statement read.

"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. We also have taken numerous steps to alert viewers to the strong subject matter so that they can choose for themselves whether it is appropriate.?"

The controversial British import series “Skins” made its debut on the cable network last Monday, causing uproar for its frank depiction of teenage sex and drug use.

But unlike MTV’s envelope-pushing shows of the past, “Skins” features underage actors engaged in sexual situations. The youngest star of the show is 15.

Nielsen ratings for the premiere, which was heavily promoted during MTV’s hit “Jersey Shore,” show that it drew 1.2 million people younger than 18, or more than a third of its total audience.

“Putting aside whether it is socially acceptable, I certainly believe that MTV is unnecessarily tempting fate,” Ian Friedman, an attorney specializing in computer-based sex offenses, told FOXNews.com.

“It is not clear as to whether MTV is in violation of federal or state child pornography laws, but that does not mean that they won’t end up defending themselves somewhere in the United States," Friedman said, noting that attitudes toward nudity and sexuality are far more lax in the show's native England.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/violation_report_show_skins_under_BeePfWqcHcKqA6UxKQyvGP#ixzz1BjQYNDfJ