Meta and HBO top naughty content list by concerned US parents

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC), a US-based nonprofit advocating responsible entertainment, has revealed that Meta and HBO have made its Naughty List for targeting children with harmful content.

According to the PTC, the long-term harmful effects of graphic sex, violence, and profanity in the media have been proven. The organization compiles its Naughty and Nice lists of media companies annually to show which firms prioritize profit over child safety.

This year, Meta and HBO are topping the organization’s Naughty list. HBO, the PTC says, has led the charge toward marketing explicit adult content to children and teens.

The platform’s crime? The nonprofit has condemned HBO for introducing “the sexually explicit” The Idol, adding Naked Attraction, and extending the popular teen-targeted show Euphoria “for another season of drugs and depravity.”

Moreover, PTC research earlier in 2023 found that Max, the streaming platform showing HBO content, has mediocre parental controls, enabling children to access explicit content.

Meta, sued in October by dozens of US states for allegedly fueling a youth mental health crisis by making its social media platforms addictive, is close.

“The parent company of Facebook and Instagram continues to be revealed by media outlets, whistleblowers, and lawsuits as fueling child sexual exploitation, providing a platform for pedophiles, and enabling sexually explicit and other harmful content that targets teens, especially teen girls,” the PTC said.

“If the growing evidence isn’t a wakeup call for greater accountability for Meta, we don’t know what is.”

Apple TV+, on the other hand, is applauded by the organization. In its study of streaming platforms, this streamer was found to offer the largest number of TV-G (General Audience) rated original programming.

According to the PTV, Apple TV+ is giving families more options than rival platforms – so does Bentkey, a low-key platform launched by The Daily Wire which is offering safe and appropriate children’s programming.

“In a screen-saturated world, children, teens, and their parents have a lot to navigate. Meta and HBO aren’t making this any easier for families by targeting youth with explicit sexual and other harmful content,” said Melissa Henson, vice president of the PTC.

“Our Naughty & Nice List seeks to highlight some of the companies that prioritize children and families and those who prioritize profit over child safety.”