Fighting Child Sexualization in Media

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fold better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters. Tracy Devitt Griggs thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters pandemic protocols that increase time at home this year. In some cases, leading to more time spent in front of TV screens. While many families may have been startled to find just how much further television and movies have devolved one French production called cuties airing on Netflix caused a sustained outcry this summer for the way it centralizes minors will how can we protect our families from exposure to such harmful content even while it seems to pervade every form of video entertainment. We here to offer answers to those questions and more is Tim winter, president of the parents television Council. That's a nonpartisan organization that advocates for responsible entertainment.

Mr. Winter brings a wealth of experience from his time spent at NBC, MSNBC, MGM Studios and many years with parents television Council, Tim winter, welcome back to family policy matters in North Carolina good from Hollywood will.

Let's start with cuties. Netflix has argued that this program actually intended to shine a light on the sexual exploitation of minors, but it seems to have missed its mark, we would agree with the producers.

It is important for the nation.

But the world to come together and do their bit to put an end to the sexual export of children with a time in the world were 1 million children around the world are held in some sort of bondage for sexual purposes.

Sexual traffic and so forth. Million children and film the French film producer says is intended to shine a light on Fort sportfishing. The sexualization of children, especially in social media, but rather than creating a dialogue about how to put an end to it. It actually perpetuates it.

It actually focuses on the sexual vision of children by sexualizing children not by denouncing sexual aversion.

What response did Netflix receive to this film. The Netflix marketed the film in a way that move and had to walk back and apologize for that showed the young girl does her 11-year-old girls were in this movie showed the girls and very provocative scenes which actually were taken from the movie, but there was such an uproar over the way the film was being marketed to walk it back may change the marketing they apologize, but gosh, don't be upset about the film and you see it because when you see it you would be upset. We made a mistake marketing it with the graphic imagery will we learn what the movie is every bit as graphic as the original imagery was and we do know that many thousands of Americans and we think around the world also decided to was too much that the Netflix and that they were going to unsubscribe from Netflix. We don't know the final tally, but that we hope it's a large number because the dollars and cents is what really is going to speak to Netflix and that's better. Sounds like cuties are actually not unusual right when it comes to programming that targets and exploits minors all got that thing about what we hope this is now shedding light on is Netflix is a corporation that appears to have a corporate practice of sexually exploiting children for the sake of entertainment.

If there was just one show you it was an anomaly that was true. Maybe it's a coincidence.

If it's true, you go home and there's a pattern here.

Now we have 456 shows that are sexually exploiting children, entertainment, and I mean grotesquely sexually exploiting them content that I would be uncomfortable, even describing on this radio program today that no one would even envision it being possible.

The graphic imagery is entertainment it really is disgusting and that's why it's so important that perhaps this is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. Perhaps this is something that will cause enough focus on Netflix for its what we see is a grotesque pattern, but really a corporate practice of sexually exploiting children just for the sake of adult entertainment in this outcry did have an effect of causing some investigations to be launched.

Is that correct yes we been clamoring for some time for much of federal authorities in Washington DC, Department of Justice, and so forth Capitol Hill to look into the practices of Netflix. Also, we returned to state attorneys general and we were very important. We just learned in recent days that a grand jury in the state of Texas has indicted Netflix for their portrayal of children in a sexualizing way when you look at the statute in the Texas state law. It appears to me that did Netflix have actually broken the law. We must not stop Texas. We want to make sure that other states.

Other jurisdictions in the federal government also have a look into Netflix and the practices we want to make sure there's a comprehensive legal review to see if laws were broken and if it were broken that we need to make sure that those who made these decisions to to produce and distribute this material are held publicly to account so talk little bit about why this keeps cropping up.

Is there then a major market for this kind of material that's a very insightful question because why would Hollywood forces in Hollywood spend millions of dollars to produce and distribute content like this under must be a marketplace for this type of programming. The those who produce it say well I'm trying to start a dialogue. I'm trying to create a national, international dialogue around these issues.

They're not doing that are actually using it for the sake of entertainment. If this was truly an attempt to have a dialogue and where's the dialogue shows that sexually exploit children for the sake of entertainment. Who is the market for whom are they producing me shows the answer is it has to be a large number of people who are very sick, very twisted, who thrive on this type of material that you know it's almost like if Jeffrey Epstein if it is a sexual predator. Jeffrey Epstein could have a hand in the production of of entertainment. This is the type of thing that he and his ilk would try to produce and distribute. It can't be for children, but it must be for adulthood situated for adults is rated mature audiences only source that supports remarketed just to adults while one adults. It has to be people who thrive on on seeing little children and sexual circumstances, sexual exploitation, though, is not the only concerning message being pushed in today's programming.

What are some other problematic material and messages that were seen. There were seeing much of social expedition of children but sexual exposition of adults content that suggests that sexual assault a woman holding her captive sexually assaulting her and forcing her to fall in love with the character is actually the premise of the movie also on Netflix install 365 days. Is that really the kind of love story we should be. We should be pulling out there is an example especially when Hollywood is dealing with me to Harvey Weinstein crisis that it seems to me that the things that that Hollywood is asking itself and the world not to do their actually then portraying those things as something that felt positive romantic and minimum should aspire to do it's really an upside down scenario. It's not just sexual exportation, the violence leads especially seem to be promoting explicit content and thinking that somehow it's a positive portrayal of society.

We, as families, what do we do, potentially, to encourage some of this kind of poor programming and what do we need to be doing to make sure that were not contributing to the problem. Two very important things must happen if their families are to be served with positive ramming and if this most wretched vile stuff is to be condemned and you have done away with number one, as we must not be silent your listeners must be active vocal outspoken about this issue, you condemn those who do the bad but you you support those who were trying to do good. There are good people out there, not just in Hollywood but around the country were trying to provide positive, family-friendly, uplifting entertainment, and they deserve our support. There are people out there that are producing wonderful things wonderful streaming content like pure flex pure flex. We have a good relationship with the company and my understanding is that if had a huge uptick in usage by Americans because during such agreement Tobin crisis where people are in front of screens, more more often for longer periods of time children especially are in front of screens. This is a time where we all have to be looking for the very best, making sure that our children are protected from the very worst, and generally being an active part in our children and grandchildren and attributed consumption a little more information about pure flex what is that in why is that a good thing. What is like Netflix is a streaming video service that you can subscribe to every month and receive programming that is 100% family-friendly pure flex offers faith and family positive programming and they do so with no very high production values. It's good content. It's reasonably priced and you can have your family in front of it without being afraid of what we call the sucker punch where you think you know what something family-friendly and boom.

What comes with something that's not family-friendly at all. Pure flex is a very safe safe outlet so it's important for parents to really keep an eye out for the current starting councils here. We want to provide good resources as well to parents not just condemning the bed, but also providing lighting the candle fills the room.

Let's let's make sure that we have a lot of candles that can help parents do you think unsubscribing from Netflix. Has to you recommend that as a strategy, I do.

It's pretty much like any television network.

Like any cable channel they have some good stuff there. From the outset of the problem is with Netflix. There's so much bad and there is so much that really gives you scratcher and again and then you say wow could. Why would they do such harmful stuff made them while they also have good stuffer for children. I think it's important that we vote with our pocketbooks.

The only thing that Netflix is going to listen to others and listen to a grand jury indictment from Texas for sure and would I make sure that hopefully with that step up and do the same thing but there really gonna follow the money, put these publicly traded corporations do that slither in business to do to make money for the shareholders. But what they're doing is they are profiting on the back of parents who are are.

I think just really having a tough time in especially with the covert situation so much media they're targeting getting their children so tough on parents. They need to be making the very best decisions they can, and we think that by getting rid of Netflix. There are other good services out there but please don't don't give your money to Netflix if they are going to put such such a vile stuff there in front of the world to see. You also mentioned filtering services so that there has been a prolonged legal battle right with some of Hollywood's biggest names and that has been resolved. So tell us a little bit about that and what you recommend for people on that front children services. You can watch.

You can stream Amazon prime.

You can stream Netflix and you can set controls so that if there are things you don't want your child or your family, or even you to see or hear nudity, graphic violence, the Lord's name in vain. Other profanity you can you can set controls and then when the movie plays it literally just skips past those things you don't want to see it's it's really quite sophisticated.

Angel had been sued by Disney and Disney individual have settled a lawsuit. It's interesting Disney for gave $50 million. Basically having a check active for dental $50 million in exchange for some promises not to pursue some from lobbying on Capitol Hill for legislation, but the bottom line is that Disney walked away from that the Settlement and that Angel is loudest in business and continue their filtering work, which we think is a wonderful resource a wonderful tool for families well were just about at a time for this week. But before we go to winter where listeners go to learn more about the good work that you all are doing and join in with you at parents television Council during the PDC is free and you can learn more@parentstv.org parents TB.org is a website you can learn. You can read you can become more informed. You can become active and be a part of our choir. We want to help parents to be better parents. Tim winter, president of the parents television Council. Thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters. Such a pleasure you been listening to family policy matters.

We hope you enjoyed the program and plenitude in again next week to listen to the show online insulin more about NC families work to inform, encourage and inspire families across Carolina go to our website it NC family.org that's NC family.org. Thanks again for listening and may God bless you and your family