Petition to: Virgin Island: Scrap Outrageous Show
'Virgin Island': Scrap Outrageous Show
novo
'Virgin Island': Scrap Outrageous Show
Channel 4 is at it again!
Plunging the murky depths of trash TV, the taxpayer-owned broadcaster is hoping to fly young adults to a sun-kissed paradise where they’ll be coerced into losing their virginity by a team of “sex experts” and “sex surrogates”.
Framed as a social experiment, "Virgin Island" doesn't just exploit participants' personal and private moments for ratings and ad revenue; the show casts virginity as an obstacle to overcome.
By doing this and ignoring the personal choices of its participants, Channel 4 is promoting a harmful and narrow view that casual sex is the norm and as essential to one's well-being as food or sleep, marginalising those in wider society who choose to wait or abstain. The outrageous show will also contribute to the societal pressure already placed on children and young adults in the UK to lose their virginity – often before they are ready.
This is trash TV at its worst, turning a deeply private and personal act into a twisted public spectacle.
But we can stop this!
Filming hasn't started yet, which means we still have time to create enough backlash to convince Channel 4 to cancel the awful show or force the intervention of TV watchdog Ofcom.
As a public broadcaster, Channel 4 has a duty to serve the public interest.
However, in its requests to remain the ‘edgy’ with Virgin Island, the broadcaster will further exacerbate the downward spiral of inappropriate, sensational, and voyeuristic content on TV – a somewhat continuation of tradition following its airing of shows like Naked Attraction and Naked Education.
Channel 4 is also regulated by broadcasting watchdog Ofcom and must adhere to Ofcom’s broadcasting guidelines, which include prioritizing the wellbeing and welfare of show participants.
"Virgin Island," with its premise of televising individuals' first sexual experiences, could easily breach these rules and expose participants to significant emotional and psychological stress.
Sign our petition now, urging Channel 4’s Chief Executive, Alex Mahon, their Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz, Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer MP, and the Chief Executive of Ofcom, Melanie Dawes, to scrap Channel 4's planned "Virgin Island" show.