I wonder how many children have watched Netflix Original Series Big Mouth since their release of Season One in 2017? I wonder if their algorithms can catch that? Probably not. Undoubtedly, thousands. Out of all of the shows available to a child today, I can’t imagine a show more harmful than Big Mouth. Last year we wrote an opinion statement on the First Season. It’s a cartoon centered on children, sexuality, and perversion, full of vulgarity, adult figures inciting children to egregious sexual conduct, and even shows children’s private parts. Yes, this show was created BY NETFLIX. When you think of cartoons, you think of what? Kids! There is no way that Netflix’ four-digit passcode is good enough to stop a wave of curious adolescents from finding this show. After all, they advertise it on their screensaver when Netflix is left idle! The Second Season has been out since November of 2018, and not like a good activist, I can’t get myself to watch it because I think my head will explode. The titles are bad enough!
From our petition from last year, more than 30 state legislators from 10 different states and organizations from all over the country have signed recognizing that it “contains sexual content involving children, naturally targets young viewers, and is harmful to young viewers” and calling Netflix to “remove the show from their catalog immediately.” We have sent the petition to Netflix and requests for meetings, and have never received a response back. It’s really too bad that Los Gatos, California is over 2,000 miles from Nashville or I’d at least, in person, try to request a meeting.
Plan B… We will be in D.C. meeting with Congressman following passage Tennessee’s Resolution HJR0133 that lays out a strategy targeting children’s instant access to Internet pornography, and we have plans to bring up Big Mouth at some point. What can Congress do? Members can evaluate it and issue a statement themselves urging Netflix to remove the show. They can have their legal team evaluate it for violations to federal law or FCC regulations. They can grill Netflix Executives in front of all of America like they did Mark Zuckerberg last year, and with prominent groups complaining of other Netflix shows such as 13 Reasons Why, this option could mount up as a possibility.
In November 2018, the same week Season Two of Big Mouth was released, Newsmax magazine covered our concern in article called “NetFlix Turns Its Back on Families” noting scores of concerning shows and imagery billboarding on their menu as families peruse the movie streaming company for a family-friendly films, and also noting Netflix’ inability to respond to concerns. Netflix received a D grade for the Parent’s Television Council for the “visibility of adult titles.”
As long as this is the most concerning show available to children today, we will continue to press to get this show removed. We’ll see how Congress members will react, and in light of the #MeToo movement, I think there’s a good chance of a proactive reaction.