The  conservative media watchdog group, Parents Television Council (PTC), has issued a report accusing the Viacom-owned cable music channel MTV of "blatantly" selling sex to kids.

In the report, titled MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids With Sex, Drugs And Alcohol, the PTC says MTV shows "staggering levels of sex and foul language."

Claiming that there is there is a good deal more of such material on MTV than there is on TV targeted at adult viewers, PTC President L. Brent Bozell said,  "MTV is blatantly selling raunchy sex to kids. Compared to broadcast television programs aimed at adults, MTV's programming contains substantially more sex, foul language and violence -- and MTV's shows are aimed at children as young as 12. There’s no question that TV influences the attitudes and perceptions of young viewers, and MTV is deliberately marketing its raunch to millions of innocent children.”

The report said MTV is watched by 73 percent of boys and 78 percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 19.

The report is based on an analysis of 171 hours of MTV's Spring Break programming during the week of March 20-27, 2004. It concluded that MTV's reality programs averaged 13 sexual scenes per hour while music videos averaged 32 instances of foul language per hour.

“The incessant sleaze on MTV presents the most compelling case yet for consumer cable choice," Bozell added.  "MTV is a subsidized network.  As it now stands, parents have no choice but to take – and pay for – MTV if they want basic cable in their homes.  Given a choice, how many parents now being forced to take and pay for MTV as part of a basic cable package, would continue to do so?”

Commenting on the PTC study to the Hollywood Reporter, an MTV spokeswoman said, "It's just unfortunate that Mr. Bozell has yet again attempted to unfairly and unaccurately paint MTV with a brush of irresponsibility around sexual and violent content. The report underestimates young people's level of intellect and sophistication." 

Read the major findings of the PTC study here.