Yahoo Movies Are the Ofcom complaints about Naked Education really justified?
A Channel 4 programme, Naked Education, that the broadcaster says was created to educate teenagers about the way real bodies look (and features adults stripping naked in front of them) has received close to 1,000 Ofcom complaints. The series, which first aired earlier this month in an 8pm slot, has prompted criticism from some viewers for showing "nudity before the watershed" and for featuring nudity in front of 14 to 16-year-olds (also on the show).
The six-parter, which is hosted by Anna Richardson (who also presents Naked Attraction), Yinka Bokinni and former Love Island contestant and doctor, Dr Alex George, has been defended by both its talent and Channel 4's chief content officer, Ian Katz.
Speaking on Twitter, Katz wrote to those calling the series 'inappropriate' and said: "Anyone who suggests that the Channel 4 show Naked Education promotes paedophilia or is abusive of children almost certainly hasn't watched it. The show counters the dangerous myths and toxic images that teenagers are bombarded with by exposing them to real, normal bodies and engaging them in an open, safe conversation about them."
Katz also added, "It would be hard to think of a clearer example of valuable public service broadcasting that challenges the kind of misconceptions that too often cause anxiety and feelings of inadequacy in young people."
George also posted about Naked Education's mission to dispel myths and encourage self-love on Instagram prior to its airing, saying: "The show is all about body positivity and educating people on what 'normal' bodies actually look like. We talk about everything from the ageing body to [penis] size, answering the questions people are afraid to ask."
In one poignant episode in a 'Teen Talk' segment, George is quick to myth-bust one concerned 15-year-old who shares they've been shaving their armpits out of fear that having body hair is unhygienic and more likely to spread STIs, by saying the opposite is true.
A spokesman for Ofcom said of the complaints, "We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate."
In a world full of ever-increasingly realistic filters (used by everyone from celebrities to slim their waists, to influencers to your next-door neighbour), could the critics of this show be unjust – or will Ofcom decide there's truth to their concerns? Only time will tell.
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