Social media users in New Zealand have been in a frenzy about a new government ad in which pornstars visit a boy named Matty to teach him about sex. The video starts with the naked couple knocking on the door and meeting Matty’s mother. "Hiya, I’m Sue. This is Derek. We’re here because your son just looked us up online – you know, to watch us. We usually perform for adults, but your son’s just a kid he might not know how relationships actually work. We don’t even talk about consent, do we? No, we just get straight to it", the actress tells the boy’s mother, who then calls her son.
When Matty comes at the door he is in total shock, but his mother kindly tells him that it’s important to learn the difference between adult films and real-life relationships and encourages him to have a conversation with the porn actors.
The ad was highly praised online for highlighting an important topic that some parents feel awkward talking about.
"I cannot tell if this is brilliant or crazy (leaning toward brilliant) but it's important and that's what matters. Both boys who don't understand what's online isn't real and girls who don't think a boy treating them that way is normal and must be accepted. This video will address both", wrote one user.
Another netizen said: "Congratulations on the NZ government for starting such an important dialogue with honesty and humour!"
One user noted that adults also need to have this discussion, while another lamented the fact that the US doesn't use the same strategy.
The ad is part of a government campaign called "Keep it Real Online", which is designed to help parents and caregivers educate children about relationships, sexual consent, pornography, as well as to warn them that they could become targets of grooming online. The campaign is led by the Department of Internal Affairs.
Authorities in the country have been promoting sex education following the publication of new statistics revealing that young men were responsible for most strangulation crimes. According to the statistics, 55 percent of the perpetrators were men aged 20 to 34. Some experts attribute these crimes to watching violent pornography.