Are Weho Billboards Too Risqué for Children?

Parents Talk is a new feature on West Hollywood Patch, part of an initiative to reach out to families in the area. Each week, our council will take your questions, and share stories and solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about the thousands of issues that arise while raising children in West Hollywood.

Today's Topic: Billboards Unfit for Kids' Eyes

The path to is not an easy one, say the school's parents. Enormous visual distractions line the Sunset Strip—including ads for a bloody Dexter and a nude Absolute Hunk. 

"I remember being most disturbed by the Dexter billboard earlier this year, featuring Michael Hall holding a knife and a baby covered in blood," said one parent. "My son and his friend, both first-graders, were intrigued to know why the baby was covered in ketchup."

Other billboards are quite graphic in their own way, selling attractive young flesh and alcohol, adds another mother. She lists a few: "Catch VD" for the TV show Vampire Diaries, a Calvin Klein ad with multiple people in bed together and numerous horror film endorsements "that even give me the creeps." 

Given that West Hollywood's demographic has changed dramatically in recent years, including some parents suggesting an increasing number of families with young children, perhaps it is time to open up a debate on whether these images should be so readily visible to all.

Let’s have a talk about it. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.