| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this series is primarily a reality dating show targeting college-age teens and 20-somethings, with a format that's not unlike MTV's Room Raiders. That means that portions of each episode deal candidly with sex, online pornography, and other steamy subjects that are too suggestive for younger viewers. High-schoolers will undoubtedly want to watch; the good news is that the show doesn't introduce anything that savvy teens haven't already heard about.
Instead of using the old-fashioned dating show format -- asking potential suitors questions about themselves and getting answers that may or not be true -- MEET OR DELETE skips the small talk and goes straight for the contents of each contestant's hard drive.
Even though the gist of this MTV reality show is nothing new (a contestant selects a dating partner from a diverse pool of three candidates) and the show itself is ho-hum, the concept behind it is intriguing. As you might expect, the results are usually hilarious -- and, sometimes, a little bit creepy -- with even the most normal-looking people never failing to disappoint.
Although the show delves into some sexually charged topics that younger kids ought to skip, Meet or Delete does offer a positive message, albeit in a roundabout way. Since most of the contestants who come on the show to choose a mate decide to "delete" people with serious red flags (like pornography addictions or lingering crushes on ex-girlfriends), it subtly shows older teens that online indiscretions aren't likely to bear much fruit when it comes to the world of dating. The show's concept is kind of cool -- and it might make you think twice about your own Internet activity.
Families can talk about the fact that privacy is relative when it comes to one's personal computer files. Should potential boyfriends and girlfriends have the right to check out each other's Internet activity -- and, more important, should their parents? Has the popularity of instant messaging, blogging, and swapping stats on MySpace changed the way we meet new people and decide whom to date? What are the dangers of getting involved in a relationship with someone you may not know that much about?
| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | mtvU |
| Genre: | Reality TV |