Controversial TV Show Airs US Version

Skins, is a British show that tells the stories of a group of very misfit teenagers trying to grow up without proper families. However, Skins is no ordinary teenager show. It displays a radical teen life with raw detail. While the audience watches the cast face love, loss and friendship, they are set into an environment that features nudity, drugs, sex and alcohol very casually. Skins began in 2007 and shortly afterwards it gained its large fan base, still growing today as the series continues.
This year, on January 17, MTV aired the first episode of the North American adaptation. Skins was not quite as welcome in the U.S. as it was in England. It consisted of the same storyline, nearly the same cast with minor tweaks, and it is slightly toned down. While Skins is not the first of its kind, the teenagers still perform very risqué scenes or use illegal drugs, and parents in particular did not take this so kindly. There was a big concern on whether or not MTV was violating child pornography laws due to some of the cast members being an underage, and several companies even refused to continue advertising on MTV’s airways. But while parents and adults alike were shocked and outraged, how did teenagers feel about the new show?
Aaliyah Johnson, a freshman, has watched both the British original and the new U.S. version. She believes the U.S. version is better because the original has too much “detail.” In other words, it has too much nudity and the U.S. version cuts out the especially explicit stuff. She thinks the two shows are not very different, besides the fact the U.S. version tones it down. Johnson admits that she doesn’t find the show relatable, because she doesn’t do those things, but it’s entertaining to watch.
Kylie Hendricks, also a freshman, has only watched the U.S. version. She thinks that there is nothing wrong with the show being on TV because it’s “basically the daily reality of teenager life,” says Hendricks. “Regular high school people act like they do.” When asked about her opinion of the show, Shaniqua Durgan, a sophomore, said, “All of us go through that stuff, it’s not unrealistic.”
Jessie McCall, a senior and fan of the original, offered a different point of view. She agrees that the show is controversial but it should be shown. She said, “It’s not something parents want to show their kids, or parents would rather not know how their teens life might actually be like.”
So this is my question for you: How do you feel about Skins? If you were a parent would you let your kids watch it?