It is a remake of the original British show of the same name and follows the lives of a group of teenagers through their final two years of high school.

[4] The series generated controversy in the United States over its sexual content, in which several advertisers withdrew and there were some accusations of child pornography since most of its cast members were under the age of 18.

We admire the work that the series creator Bryan Elsley did in adapting the show for MTV, and appreciate the core audience that embraced it.

Elsley said "It's very important to us that the kids are not seasoned professionals" in keeping with British version where most had no prior acting experience.

Although the show is raunchy, Poniewozik judges Skins to have "more sweetness than snarky teen soaps like Gossip Girl".

[23] Troy Patterson of Slate describes the show as a "sporadically excellent adaption" that is "superior teensploitation, enabling youth to rejoice in the fantasy of their corruption".

[24] The show has garnered controversy from various conservative groups for its teenage depictions of casual sex and drug use, especially with regard to underage actors.

[25] In the wake of a mounting scandal over a possible child pornography investigation of MTV as a result of the show's content, Yum!

Brands (Taco Bell), Mars, Incorporated (Wrigley), General Motors, Doctor's Associates (Subway), Foot Locker, H&R Block, Schick, Guthy-Renker (Proactiv), L'Oréal, Reckitt Benckiser (Clearasil) and Kraft all opted to pull their advertising from the program.

"[32] They also defended the show, stating that it addresses "real-world issues" teenagers are confronted with on a daily basis, and in a "frank" way.