The racy teen angst show, Skins, on MTV seems to be causing a lot of concern about its racy conent so much so that on Thursday, a front-page story in The New York Times said that Skins may be trafficking in kiddie porn.

The Parents Television Council, which has sought government intervention, also wants the advertisers to withdraw from the show. Taco Bell has caved in and obliged along with General Motors who put it on its ‘do not buy list’.

MTV was quick to respond with this statement, “Skins is a show that 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. 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.”

Going by the reaction some executives at MTV are saying that they intend to tweak the show a little to assuage viewers’ concerns. Almost all the actors are below 17 in the show and going by its content some of it may violate federal laws against child pornography.

Skins, with its well advertised teasers and runs, got maximum advertising for its one hour run. It attracted over 3 million viewers out of which 1.2 million were in the teen category of under 18. However, it was lower than what Jersey Shore routinely attracts – around 8 million viewers.

Going by all the publicity that Skins is attracting, of whatever kind, one thing is certain - a lot more viewers are going to check in on the Monday episode to see what the whole brouhaha is all about. This will certainly up the ratings of the show which is after all what every show and network wants.

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