Skins, a transplant television series from the UK, is hitting the fan and catching the attention of young teens around the U.S. The series follows a handful of 15 to 18 year olds who suck down beer, swallow anything that remotely resembles a pill and do whatever it takes to get some.  Has MTV gone too far this time?

Deeming Skins “the most dangerous show ever”, the Parent’s Television Council, a nonprofit organization promoting responsible entertainment, is attempting to charge the show with violating federal child pornography statues and exploitation of minors.

Created by Brian Esley and Jamie Brittian, the first episode of Skins aired January 2005 in the UK. The series focuses on teens in Bristol, England as they embark on adventures slammed full of sex, drugs…and more sex.

With four seasons already under the UK creators’ belt, the show has been a huge success in the UK winning an awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Following the show’s success, Esley said stations have been pestering the creators of the UK phenomenon to partner up and develop a U.S. version of the show for quite some time. Despite hopeful creators’ efforts, Esley claims their pitches were not good enough. That is of course, until MTV came around.

“MTV had the clearest vision,” Esley said of the host station, according to NYMAG.com. “I think that [MTV] is a channel that’s changing. It’s a channel that can deal with a little bit of anarchism.”

Early signs indicate Esley made the right decision. According to The Los Angeles Times, the first episode of MTV’s version of Skins aired on January 18th raking in 3.3 million viewers.

The Parents Television Council, on the other hand, has spoken out against MTV’s standards.

It said, “It appears that MTV is deliberately trying to establish a new standard for what is considered acceptable for kids.”

Many companies seem to agree and have pulled advertising from the show in response to the Council’s rage. Wrigley, Proactiv, Subway and Taco Bell have cut their commercials out of Skins’ airtime.

According to msnbc.com, Taco Bell dropped the show because they “decided that the show is not a fit” for their brand and have “moved advertising to other MTV programming”.

Despite the mature audience warning at the start of the show, Brian Stelter, a reporter from the New York Times, said 1.2 million of the show’s viewers were under 18.

According to the MTV press, the age demographics of viewers the night of the premiere were between the ages of 12 and 34.

The Parent’s Television Council also wants Congress to investigate Skins for a child pornography and the exploitation of minors.

MTV’s Nathaniel Brown defends the show’s dignity.

“Skins is a show that addresses real-world issues confronting teens in a frank way,” Brown said. “We review all our shows and work with all our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards.” Brown goes on to say that he is confident that the episodes of Skins will comply with these standards and legal requirements.

Kyle Hatley, a junior in international studies, said the show may depict the lives of some teens in the U.S., but it shouldn’t speak for the masses.

“Teenagers have the potential to be that way,” Hatley said. “It shows one side of how teens act in America, but I’m sure not all teens are like that.”

Federal law states child pornography is any visual depiction of a minor partaking in sexually explicit actions. According to the Justice Department’s legal guidelines, “a picture of a naked child may constitute illegal child pornography if it is sufficiently sexually suggestive.”

The MTV website states that the youngest member of the cast is 15, a minor.

Debra Buck, a junior in public relations, doesn’t watch the show regularly, but feels that the child pornography charges are a bit over the top.

“I wouldn’t go as far to saw that it’s child porn,” Buck said. “But, the show is mostly centered around partying and drugs – that’s the kind of stuff that teens are interested in now.”

On the other hand, MTV does attempt to keep kids under the age of 18 from tuning in by airing the show at 10 p.m. and “letting viewers know exactly what to expect in the show.”

However, the time a show airs may not be an effective deterrent. because you can watch full episodes on MTV’s website.

MTV also recently threw a premier party in Manhattan that allowed kids as young as 16 to attend.

MTV Programming chief, David Janollari, comments that the negative reaction to Skins isn’t something new.

“You’re always going to have haters,” Janollari said. “MTV is no stranger to that kind of reaction, most recently with Jersey Shore and going all the way back to Jackass.”

The Parent’s Television Council’s threat of child pornography charges aren’t putting a damper on the shows existence, and the show isn’t leaving anytime soon.

“We’re in it for the long run” Janollari said.

Samantha Goodwin, a sophomore in biology, is not surprised by MTV’s “convictions.”

“It’s MTV. What do you expect?” said Goodwin. “That’s why I don’t watch MTV.”