Stop Child Predators today expressed concern over the announcement by The Walt Disney Company that Disney XD, an American digital cable and satellite television network, will dedicate programming to the Marvel comic book characters that are also licensed to overseas companies for online gambling.
“Just as the tobacco industry is prohibited from targeting children in advertising products, Disney must be held accountable for the image they portray to youth around the globe,” said Stacie Rumenap, president of Stop Child Predators. “The line is blurred when children are taught from a young age that these characters are ‘heroes’ conveying what Disney calls the values of ‘accomplishment, discovery and growth’ while simultaneously licensing these images for use in gambling which is a distinctly adult entertainment.
“The company cannot have it both ways. Disney must decide if they want to be the ‘family-friendly’ business they claim to be or if profits take precedence.”
Disney XD which is watched primarily by children between 2-14 years of age plans to roll out the Marvel programming on April 1, 2012.
