Freeform, formerly known as ABC Family, has been quite edgy in its programming since the name change a couple of years ago, according to Christopher Gildemeister, head of research operations for the Parents Television Council (PTC). He explains that the network’s rebranding continues to push the envelope.

Gildemeister

“They have a trailer out for the direction their network’s going to go in, and it’s got profanity, it’s got women talking about their private parts, it’s got sexual assault, it’s got graphic violence, including murder,” Gildemeister reports. “And what’s really spooky about this is that Freeform is very explicitly targeted to teenage viewers and even younger ones — what they call tweens.”

The PTC spokesman tells OneNewsNow that his organization especially wants parents to know about the direction the network is taking.

“The way most parents probably think is, ‘I know there’s a whole lot of bad stuff out there, but if you can’t trust Disney, who can you trust?’ The fact of the matter is these days you can’t trust Disney,” Gildemeister asserts. “You certainly can’t trust their Freeform network in the direction it’s going.”

It is a direction, he argues, that is being taken without any consideration of the effects such programming has on young viewers.