MTV Developing Thick ‘Skins’
When MTV decided to bring “Skins” to American television, it knew it’d be courting controversy. In fact, controversy was likely part of the network’s marketing strategy: After all, the original British version—which centers around a group of sex- and drug-addled teens—was riddled with nudity, foul language and bad behavior; and MTV perhaps hoped the MA-rated show (even toned down for American audiences) would become a scandalous sensation. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? Perhaps the network didn’t count on quite this much attention. The Parents’ Television Council called “Skins” “the most dangerous program ever for children”—the sort of quotation that MTV ordinarily might use in its marketing. When the PTC followed that up by asking the federal government to investigate MTV for child pornography (one of the show’s 17-year-old actors allegedly runs through the streets naked in an upcoming episode) and pressuring “Skins” advertisers, MTV executives spent much of the past week (according to The New York Times) discussing damage control. So far, three major companies—Taco Bell, GM and Wrigley—have pulled their advertising from “Skins,” and the PTC is asking others to do the same. MTV seems committed to the show, which pulled in impressive ratings for its premiere. “We have an ongoing dialogue with our advertising partners about the best fit for them across our diverse lineup of shows,” read an MTV statement after Taco Bell and GM pulled out. “We know that not every show works for every advertiser. That said, we are confident that ‘Skins’ will continue to connect with the audience it was created for and that advertisers will take advantage of the opportunity to reach them.” (L.A. Times)

Birds May Be Really Angry Now
“Angry Birds,” iTunes’ perennially popular free gaming app, has been knocked off its top perch—by a game invented by a 14-year-old kid. Robert Nay, an eighth-grader from Spanish Fork, Utah, developed “Bubble Ball” in his spare time with the encouragement of friends. He worked at it for more than a month, eventually writing more than 4,000 lines of code for the thing. It’s now been downloaded more than 2 million times, making it Apple’s most popular free game. Those “Angry Birds” now seethe at No. 2. “I was pretty astonished,” Nay said. “When I released it, I didn’t think it would do so well.” (ABC News)

Tying Shoes—Is There an App for That?
In days gone by, learning how to tie your own shoes and ride a bike were considered important rites of passage—proof that you were getting older and wiser. In the 21st century, kids are far more apt to learn how to use a computer or smartphone before learning how to double-knot their sneakers. According to a new survey, 21 percent of kids ages 4 and 5 know how to use a smartphone or iPad app, while only 14 percent could tie their own shoes. Nearly 70 percent of children ages 2 to 5 can operate a computer mouse, but only 20 percent know how to swim. Most folks would consider this just a symptom of our changing times, but some experts are a little worried. “There’s a very legitimate concern that the next generation will be so wired and so hooked up that we will forget some of the basic life skills,” says Dr. Vic Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico. “I think parents need to be increasingly vigilant because there are so many media and so many different avenues for accessing media.” (ABC News)

STD Without Sex?
If someone gets a sexually transmitted disease, logic follows that they must’ve had sex somewhere along the line, right? Yet 10 percent of young adults who contract an STD claim to be abstinent, according to research published in Pediatrics. Scientists believe that while some teens and young adults apparently are lying about their level of sexual activity, they also speculate there may be some confusion as to how the word sex is defined. What one teen might call sex another might consider something just short of it. (Time)