***News Release***
American Family Association: Kids Are Watching ‘13 Reasons Why,’ Regardless if Parents Know
AFA Works to Reach 125,000 Signatures on Petition Urging Netflix to Pull Damaging Teen Series That Focuses on Suicide, Sexual Assault and Drugs
TUPELO, Miss.—As the busyness of the school year ramps up, parents may not be fully aware of what their kids are watching on TV—whether at home or at a friend’s house.
Even if all the correct precautions are taken, pre-teens and teens will find a way or bow to peer pressure to watch the damaging Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” That’s why the American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) is committed to continue urging Netflix to pull the show from the streaming service—before another young life is lost or negatively influenced.
For many months, AFA has been gathering thousands of petition signatures to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and is working hard to reach 125,000 signatures so Netflix leadership will take notice. More than 105,000 have already signed the petition.
“My heart continues to break for the family of 14-year-old Anna Bright from Alabama, who killed herself last year after binge-watching the first season of the original Netflix series ‘13 Reasons Why,’” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Tragically, Anna is not the only one. Bella Herndon and Priscilla Chiu, both 15-year-olds from California, also took their own lives just days after watching Hannah Baker kill herself on this series. The series has become a lightning rod for critics who say it glorifies suicide and might even make it an attractive option for teenagers who are enduring difficult times in their lives.”
Season 1 focused on the graphic suicide of Hannah Baker, who slits her wrists in a bathtub full of water. Her decision to end her life is explained through a collection of cassette tapes that she leaves behind blaming the people responsible for her death. Season 2 picks up months after Hannah’s suicide, and sadly, the filth and gratuitous content is only exacerbated with story lines that include sodomy, homosexuality, drug use, extreme profanity and a plot for mass school violence.
Despite pleas from pro-family groups like AFA to cancel the second season of “13 Reasons Why” this past spring, Netflix instead announced it had renewed the show and would soon film Season 3.
Read Wildmon’s letter to Hastings here and sign the petition to Netflix here. Visit the AFA’s newest Action Alert on “13 Reasons Why” and read the article about Anna Bright’s family in AFA Journal.
American Family Association representatives are available to conduct immediate breaking news interviews via its LTN line at AFA studio headquarters. Contact Media@HamiltonStratetgies.com for more information or call 610.584.1096, ext. 102.
View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
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