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Two porn actors have racked up millions of views after going viral in New Zealand – but not for the day job.
Nude Sue and Derek, as they are known, star in the latest bizarre television advert by the Jacinda Ardern‘s government promoting internet safety.
Realising every parent’s worst nightmare, in the ad the pair knock on a mother’s front door and announce: “Hiya… your son’s been watching us online.”
The stunned mother, Sandra, played by comedian Justine Smith, grows more aghast as the porn stars reveal he has viewed them “on his laptop, iPad, Playstation, his phone, your phone, Smart TV projector”.
Sue explains: “We usually perform for adults but your son’s just a kid. He might not know how relationships actually work.”
Adding that they “just get straight to it” in their videos, Derek admits: “I’d never act like that in real life.”
The young son then walks in on the scene and immediately drops his food bowl upon recognising the pair, who say: “Hey matey.”
A horrified Sandra, trying to keep her cool, then tells her son while Sue and Derek watch on: “Alright matey, it sounds like it’s time to have a talk about the difference between what you see online and real life relationships. No judgement!”
The video, which has racked up eight million views on Twitter and has been watched over 900,000 times on YouTube, ends with a narrator warning: “Many young Kiwis are using porn to learn about sex. Keep it real online,” before signposting an advice website.
A report in December found that teenagers in New Zealand use the internet as their primary way to learn about sex, and a third of the most popular porn clips in the country depicted non-consensual acts.
The series also includes TV ads tackling cyberbullying, online grooming and access to violent video games.
It went down a hit online, with many lauding its effectiveness.
Commenting on the pornography video in a tweet shared 85,000 times, one user remarked simply: “New Zealand is brilliant.”
Another wrote: “The kiwis have done it again. Brilliant, funny and honest ads about #esafety. I love how they empower parents to switch on their skills, not simply switch off the device.”
Another commented: on the video “Beginning to think New Zealand is better than us at everything.”
Broadcaster Louise McSharry tweeted: “Who do we have to pay to get this campaign going in Ireland?”
Hilary Ngan Kee, a spokesperson for Motion Sickness, the agency behind the ads, said: “Parents should feel confident when dealing with these issues… at the end of the day, they’re the best person to keep their child safe.
“You don’t need to have all the answers, but supporting your child and giving that ‘adult’ guidance as they navigate the choppy waters of the online world will really make a difference.”
