The Drug Abuse Resistance Education organization — more commonly known as D.A.R.E — has spoken out against the HBO show “Euphoria.”
The news: D.A.R.E recently told TMZ that “Euphoria” glamorizes substance use and abuse, especially in Season 2, which recently started on HBO.
- On the show, the character Rue (Zendaya) almost overdoses on drugs. She takes even more drugs to stop it from happening.
What they’re saying: “Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, ‘Euphoria,’ chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world,” a D.A.R.E. source told TMZ.
- “It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school-age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges.”
Meanwhile: The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has urged people to sign a petition for AT&T/HBO to stop airing child pornography.
- The petition specifically mentioned a recent “Euphoria” episode that “fixated on the naked body of a high-school-aged female character as she engaged in various sex acts with another character,” according to PTC.
- “With its dark, nihilistic, teen-centered ‘Euphoria,’ HBO is sexually exploiting children for profit. The producers’ aberrant fixation with nude child characters engaged in sexual activity is something we’ve not seen in 26 years of monitoring television programming. HBO touts the show as its ‘youngest-skewing drama series’ on its streaming platform, which suggests teens are in fact watching,” said PTC President Tim Winter.