The Indonesia Broadcasting Commission( KPI) sent a warning letter to a local TV Station after airing SpongeBob SquarePants due to it’s violent and sexual content.
Posted in KPI website, letter from KPI takes issue with:
The ‘Rabbids Invasion’ segment where there is a scene of a rabbit committing acts of violence against other rabbits namely, hitting the face with a board, dropping a bowling ball from above so that it hits the head, hammering a hammer into the face, and hitting a cactus pot using a racket toward the face’.
According to the letter, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie falls into a category of programming that encourages children to learn inappropriate behaviour in daily life. Commenting on letter- one of the 14 sent to several TV station regarding a number of different programmes- Deputy Chairperson of KPI , Mulyo Hadi Purnomo, said the violations related to content inspired by ” the paranormal ” violence and sexual content.
In a press release issued by KPI, Mulyo said:
We don’t want that content to encourage them to believe in the power of paranormal, occult, and supernatural practices. Protection of the interests of psychological growth and development of adolescent children must be maintained.
Broadcasting institutions must pay attention to the provisions concerning the prohibition and restrictions on sexually charged broadcast programs. Broadcasts are prohibited from displaying content that encourages teens to learn about inappropriate behaviour or justify inappropriate behaviour as normal.
The response from public is near-universally in support of SpongeBob SquarePants and some Twitter users even popularised the #saveSpongeBob hashtag sharing their love for their classic kids show.
Source: Nickelodeon | KPI