A Netflix Scandal – Why are people cancelling their memberships?

Netflix has been receiving a lot of backlash as it released the new film, Cuties, which has sexually exploited hundreds of underage girls between the ages of 11-14. Netflix has found people cancelling their accounts, and there has been two petitions, created by the public, which have gained over 400,000 signatures in the last few days, to make Netflix take it down from their platform. 

Cuties is a French film,which is based on young girls and how they are taken advantage of in society. However, a large amount of people have said that the producer, Doucoure, could have addressed this issue in an appropriate, informative manner, opposed to objectifying these girls, by placing them in minimal clothing while dancing inappropriately in front of an audience of adults. This controversial film has caused several debates on social media and has made its way onto news sites to accumulate opinions from across the country.

It seems that more attention has been caught from younger people who have expressed their thoughts in a multitude of ways, older people are also disgusted by the way young female sexualisation has been portrayed by Doucoure and have asked why this couldn’t be spoke about through a documentary.

"Sick" and "Disturbing"

Twitter exploded with complaints that emphasised the issues shown in the film, with numerous users branding it as “sick”and “disturbing” whereas others questioned the controversy, as this happens on “Hulu, Lifetime, TLC, TikTok, and Instagram,” frequently. They state that if you are going to cancel your Netflix membership, “boycott” other platforms too as they promote child exploitation in various ways, allowing others to view it freely. 

Does society benefit from a film that allows children to be manipulated for millions of people to view? Should Netflix, and other media platforms, restrict and monitor content that is subjective to sexualising children? Cuties has opened the eyes of the public to prevalent issues we are facing, not only nationally but globally, and it is time for Netflix to listen to its consumers and address what people are saying.