Research In England Proposes Ways To Prevent The Sexualization Of Children
The report entitled Letting Children Be Children: the Report of an Independent Review of the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood asks broadcasters and businesses to consider the well-being of children and the increasingly sexualized “wallpaper” that daily envelopes them.
The report proposes:
- putting age restrictions on music videos to prevent children buying sexually explicit videos
- covering up sexy images on the covers of magazines and newspapers
- making every customer consent at the point of purchase to having adult content on their home internet, laptops, or smart phones, rather than receiving it automatically
- urging retailers to offer more age-appropriate clothes for children and to commit to a code of practice which checks and challenges the design, buying, display, and marketing of clothes, products, and services for kids
- restricting outdoor advertisements containing sexy imagery where large numbers of children are likely to see them (schools, nurseries, playgrounds, etc)
- giving greater consideration to the views and sentiments of parents above the general public in regulating TV
- providing parents with one website to make it easier to complain about any program, advertisement, product, or service
- banning the employment of children under 16 as “brand ambassador”s and in peer-to-peer marketing
Baily’s report is being received well so far in England as the Prime Minister has welcomed the findings and the suggestions to make the country more “family-friendly.” The Prime Minister apparently plans to invite retailers, advertisers, broadcasters, magazine editors, video games and music industry chiefs, and regulators to a summit in October to discuss implementing these measures.