Irish officials pull controversial 'hugging' ad after public backlash

A government-funded video telling kids to ask grandparents for permission before hugging them has been taken down after being called 'demeaning' and 'absurd.'

A public safety video that suggested children should ask for consent before hugging their grandparents has been removed following a wave of public anger. The video was produced by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC). It showed a young girl asking her grandmother if she could hug her. The idea behind the video was to teach children about bodily autonomy—the right to control what happens to your own body. However, the ad did not sit well with the public. Many people felt it was inappropriate to apply strict rules of consent to family members like grandparents. Critics called the video 'deme…