Just last year MTV sent out a casting call to young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who were considering losing their virginity. They had the idea to start a new reality series that follows several young people who are struggling with the decision to either remain virgins or not.
MTV is well known for many of its questionable programming choices like 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom and the Jersey Shore among others. And back in the 80s when the network was started, it almost immediately became known as a sex educator from its various shows.
TV Watchdog writes:
Note that the casting call didn’t seek out young adults who are virgins and are committed to remaining virgins until marriage. It didn’t seek out teens who are happy with their decision to be abstinent. It specifically sought to find virgins who were eager to ditch their virginity, so MTV could be there to document and televise it in all its awkward, uncomfortable glory.
Television has been described as a “sexual super-peer” and that’s a helpful way to look at the ways in which programming influences behavior. But if TV is a “super-peer,” MTV is the “mean girl” of that peer group; routinely belittling, ridiculing, and marginalizing teens who choose to remain abstinent, and it seems clear that is part of their agenda with this new reality program.
MTV is the most recognized network among young adults ages 12 to 34, according to Nielsen Media Research. It is watched by 73% of boys and 78% of girls ages 12 to 19. Boys watch for an average of 6.6 hours per week and girls watch for an average of 6.2 hours per week.
With a television network so blatantly exploiting the young adults they hope to feature in this show, one must wonder where we draw the line. It seems quite clear MTV has decided to abandon any moral standards they may have had left. Now it is up to parents to make sure their children are educated and aware that this show is purely being produced for profits.
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