Controversial drama for teens raises questions

When Mount Mercy University senior Jayson Lawton watched MTV's new series, “Skins,” with a group of friends, he said they all joked that the cable channel was trying to recruit teenagers for its other shows, “Teen Mom” and shows about drug addiction.

“It just seems like they're telling teens it's OK to get messed up and be on TV,” said Lawton, 23, from Lake Orion, Mich.

“Skins” is the latest in a string of controversial television shows aimed at teenagers, portraying teen life as filled with sex, drugs and alcohol. It joins television shows such as TeenNick's “Degrassi” and fellow MTV show “Jersey Shore” in offering what some say is an unrealistic picture of what life is really like while at the same time glamorizing bad behavior.

“We do know there was a study of more than 2,000 teenagers in which researchers found that exposure to a lot of sexual content on television correlated to early sexual conduct and activity,” said Meenkashi “Gigi” Durham, a University of Iowa journalism professor and author of “The Lolita Effect: The Media Sensualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It.”

“One of the things we also know is that over the last 20 years there's been an increase in the number of portrayals of sexual acts or implications and innuendos,” Durham said.

What hasn't been shown, she said, are the true consequences of some of these actions.

“A show like this doesn't deal with contraception or STDs or unplanned pregnancies,” she said. “I don't think it deals with the real issues.”

It's something Lawton said he noticed, too.

“The thing that bugs me is that they say it's how teenagers live,” Lawton said. “It's not the true life of teenagers.”

Growing up outside of Detroit, Lawton said he saw teen life beyond the borders of rural America.

“There were kids doing pot in high school, there was some sex, but it wasn't nearly the extent they're portraying,” he said.

It's because of shows like “Skins” and “Jersey Shore,” that mom Angie Bennett puts parental controls, which limit what her teens can watch, on the family television.

“I don't like them watching shows with drugs and sex and drinking and the out-of-control behavior,” said Bennett, 36, of Marion. “Can I totally keep them away from it? No, but I can do what I can in my household to prevent it.”

Bennett's daughter, Kaitlin Meinke, 14, said she tried to record “Skins” but realized the parental controls wouldn't let her see it. She was curious to see what it was like, she said, but wasn't really interested in the show itself.

Even television shows like “Degrassi” and “Jersey Shore” are outside her interest zone, she said, “because they're annoying with how they act and the language they use.”

Jen Neumann, 38, of Cedar Rapids, said her two daughters, ages 10 and 7, haven't expressed much interest in television at all, but she worries about teen shows and what they're saying to kids of all ages.

“Something should be done about the things that are shown on TV because not every parent will know how to, or will take the time to talk to their kids about it or to restrict it,” she said.

That said, Neumann believes it's her responsibility as a parent to make sure her children are educated about what's out there.

“I do believe something has to be done, I do believe in being vocal about it, but the truth is that's going to take some time,” she said. “Until that happens, I can't just sit back on my laurels and not talk to my kids about it.

“It's just a matter of when it comes up you address it and if it's something you have to answer questions about, you just be matter-of-fact about it,” she said. “You don't have to harp on it, just state the facts and give them the tools to make informed decisions.”