A UK media network has prompted outrage after a documentary report appeared to normalize pedophilia.

The UK’s Channel 5 My5 network (owned by Viacom) is accused of promoting pedophilia under the guise of “age-gap love” with an episode regarding a relationship between a 47-year-old man and a 19-year-old girl, which began when the man was 44 and she was 16.

"16-44… It's a big gap." But this didn't stop Andy and Beth from giving #AgeGapLove a go. pic.twitter.com/3pAgLVRgPE — Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) May 26, 2019

“Originally a friend of her Mum and over the years became close to her children too,” the program describes the relationship origins between Beth and Andy.

While the age of consent in the UK is 16, commenters expressed their discontent with the program highlighting what is essentially considered pedophilia in many places.

Many on Twitter also accused the man in the report of child abuse for sexually grooming the girl at a young age in order to cultivate the relationship.

This is appalling @channel5_tv. This a unhealthy relationship between an adult and a child. It's grooming, not a cute hashtag. — Tana Joseph (@TanaDJoseph) May 27, 2019 "When Andy realised Beth was serious." Or in other words, when his sustained and methodical grooming practices reached their goal. — La Castillo (@hellshousewife) May 27, 2019 Grooming…& I have a sudden realisation about my own situation. — 🎂Lulu 🍰🍸🍹🍨 (@Mmelulu) May 27, 2019 The woman is 19 in the video. If they’d met for the first time when she was 19, it would be weird but not criminal or evil. But he knew her since a child and they started “dating” when she was 16. That’s called grooming and abuse. Dude is a pedophile. This is horrific. — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 29, 2019 He literally groomed her. This is grim. — chiller ★ (@chiller) May 27, 2019 Channel 5 Normalising grooming 😬 — Danny De la Montaña (@Yorky2860) May 27, 2019 This man was around her as a child. Do the producers of this show not realise how dangerous it is to try to paint the grooming of underage kids in a positive light? Also making it out to be all her idea… No words. — Louise Hudson ⚯͛ (@louisehdsn) May 27, 2019 You've misspelled child abuse there — Kathryn 🐱 (@purple_kathryn) May 27, 2019

The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!