OTTAWA – Frank discussion on virtual sex without any viewer advisories is not a good idea at 8 a.m. on Easter Monday, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said Wednesday.
A viewer complained that a repeat episode of MTV Canada’s magazine/talk program MTV Live on the subject of virtual sex that aired on Monday, April 17, 2006 at 8 a.m. was offensive and the CBSC’s national specialty services panel determined that the episode contained dialogue that was too sexually explicit for a morning time-slot.
The MTV Live episode contained segments relating to cyber-dating and cyber-sex, a virtual sex machine, and an online role-playing sex game. While some of the segments featured only vague or mild references to sex, others provided more detailed descriptions of sexual activity. For example, both the virtual sex machine discussion and the conversation about the online sex game included explicit verbal explanations of their features and functions.
The broadcast did not contain any viewer advisories and was rated PG.
"The viewer was particularly concerned about the segment on the virtual sex masturbation machine which he described as ‘indecent’ and ‘distasteful’," says the CBSC release.
The panel concluded that this MTV Live episode contained material that should not have been aired before the 9 p.m. watershed hour.
"It goes without saying that there is no mathematical formula that can be applied to determine whether sexual content is exclusively intended for adult audiences. Nonetheless, the CBSC Panels have developed criteria which they apply to programming in order to make that determination… (E)ven where there is neither nudity nor sexual activity, there may still be enough explicitness in the dialogue, discussion or descriptions to conclude that the programming is intended for adults," wrote the panel.
The panel concluded that the broadcast in question was in breach of Clause 10 of the CAB Code of Ethics and that the absence of viewer advisories in the broadcast breached the Code.
