The Parents Television Council is warning parents about the expansion of the Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim.” It was announced that this decidedly adult live action and animation programming block will begin at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central starting March 31, 2014.

“Parents beware: not all cartoons are created equal. And what’s particularly dangerous about Cartoon Network and 'Adult Swim' is that the content changes from being kid-friendly to adult-oriented not with the click of a remote but with the tick of the clock,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“Cartoon Network’s ‘Adult Swim’ has a long history of marketing explicit animation to children. The network’s announcement that it is moving this programming block to an even earlier hour when children are more likely to be in the audience is disturbing on a number of levels. The network claims that they’re targeting adult males by moving ‘Adult Swim’ to an earlier hour, but in the process children are being thrown under the bus.

“Our own research on animated programming documents the troubling amount of sexual content airing on cartoons, and ‘Adult Swim’ in particular included some of the highest levels of explicit content. Also in our study, we found that Cartoon Network failed to use the TV ratings system to warn parents about sexual content, suggestive dialogue and explicit language 100 percent of the time.

“Cartoon Network and ‘Adult Swim’ provide a powerful example of why the current cable model is broken and why it must be changed. Parents must be given the opportunity to unsubscribe from the Cartoon Network on their cable bills, instead of having to subsidize explicit content in order to receive the programming they do want coming into their homes. Bipartisan and bicameral legislation pending in the Congress – bills introduced by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – would give parents this much-needed right.

“The cable industry must be exposed for their contemptible bundling scheme that forces families to underwrite explicit content. And until the system is fixed, parents must be on high alert.”

The Parents Television Council® (http://www.parentstv.org®) is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members and 56 chapters across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC™ also works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families. Visit the new PTC Watchdog Blog at http://www.parentstv.org/blog/. Follow the PTC on Twitter: @ThePTC.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/02/prweb11559377.htm