It is always important to verify information before spreading false narratives about a subject. In a recent Reuters article it analyzes and fact checks outrage that was sparked between some parents in regard to an Instagram post that gained traction. The post in question featured a clip from a show titled Mr. Pickles from season 3, episode 8. The claim was that the show existed for the nefarious purpose and agenda of sexualizing children. Reuters concluded that the verdict of these claims was that there was: “Missing context. The Mr. Pickles clip shared on a social media post is from an adult series that was shown at night and there is no evidence it is part of a purported agenda to sexualize children.”
Mr. Pickles is not created or intended for children. Cartoon Network, the network that airs the show, does so during their televised programming block titled Adult Swim. When Mr. Pickles was airing, Adult Swim did not begin airing shows until 8pm. In addition to this, the show in question did not air on television until midnight. As explained by credible source New York Times, “early on, the idea was to create a late-night programming block for Cartoon Network’s sizable adult audience. What resulted was a hit.”
Adult Swim definitely found massive success with many young adults since its network debut on September 2nd, 2001. Each show that was featured was intended for adult consumption of media. In fact, the famous quote and tagline associated with Adult Swim is “all kids out of the pool.” With that said, it is clear that the show was not created with the intentions of creating media marketed towards sexualizing children. It is an adult animation show, created for and by adults over the age of 18.
Parents are largely responsible for what media their children consume. As factually stated by the National Library of Medicine, “Parents play a critical role in determining children’s media use since parents spend a sizable portion of time with their children and establish the climate within the household associated with children’s media exposure.”
A parent sets the rules and expectations as to what television programs that their children are allows to watch. Despite Mr. Pickles clearly being an adult show, one non-credible opinion stated by a parent user on Common Sense Media seemed outraged that a show like this existed and was meant to cause harm to children. They wrote: “There is no topic this animated show will not touch. It is part of the adult swim on Cartoon Network showing late at night, easily watchable by sneaky children that has access to that media outlet. This is pornography. It is unacceptable for humanity.” The sentiment shared is the opinion of one individual, who is falsely spinning the narrative that the show that they are complaining about should be deemed as “pornography”.
It is the responsibility of not just parents, but any media consumer, to be aware of misinformation and how instances of it may spread online.
