An independent review into the sexualisation of young people, conducted by psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, was welcomed by Home Secretary Alan Johnson today 26th February.

Commissioned by the Home Office, the review forms part of the government’s strategy to tackle ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ (VAWG) and looks at how sexualised images and messages may be affecting the development of children and young people and influencing cultural norms. It also examines the evidence for a link between sexualisation and violence.

Key recommendations include:

• the government to launch an online ‘one-stop-shop’ to allow the public to voice their concerns regarding irresponsible marketing which sexualises children, with an onus on regulatory authorities to take action. The website could help inform future government policy by giving parents a forum to raise issues of concern regarding the sexualisation of young people;

• the government should support the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) to take steps to extend the existing regulatory standards to include commercial websites;

• broadcasters are required to ensure that music videos featuring sexual posing or sexually suggestive lyrics are broadcast only after the ‘watershed’;

• the government to support the NSPCC in its work with manufacturers and retailers to encourage corporate responsibility with regard to sexualised merchandise. Guidelines should be issued for retailers following consultation with major clothing retailers and parents’ groups; and

• games consoles should be sold with parental controls already switched on. Purchasers can choose to ‘unlock’ the console if they wish to allow access to adult and online content.

Commenting on the report, Derek Maylor, Chair of the NW BTU Health & Safety Coordinators Committee said,

"Violence whether it be in the workplace or in society generally is a concern for all those working in the field of health and safety. Fear of violence and of sexual violence can result in stress which affects individuals in many ways. We need to ensure that the sexualisation of young people is not accepted by society as the norm otherwise all the work we do in promoting equal opportunities, creating healthy and safe working environments will be compromised by fear anxiety and stress as a result of the pressures on young people which can overflow into the workplace.

He added:

"Any parent taking a look at pop videos broadcast on both terrestrial and satellite TV will see that the majority of those aired during the day, if broadcast as part of a regular TV programme would result in uproar about sexual imagery being broadcast outside of the 9 pm watershed. Given that such imagery is available at all times of day, it simply normalises the sexualisation of girls and young women.

The Government is right to have commissioned this report and should implement the recommendations in full."

Dr Papadopoulos has worked closely with the Home Office in developing the current national awareness campaign targeting violence within teenagers' relationships. A pack for teachers and pupils to accompany the campaign will shortly be made available to all schools. The government is also committed to introducing the subject of violence against women and girls and gender equality into the national curriculum, both of which are recommendations outlined in this review.

The full list of recommendations will now be considered in more detail.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:

“We know that parents are concerned about the pressures their children are under at a much younger age, which is why we have already committed to a number of the recommendations in this report. Changing attitudes will take time but it is essential if we are going to stop the sexualisation which contributes to violence against women and girls.

I would like to thank Dr Linda Papadopoulos for producing this review, with recommendations which will contribute to the ongoing debate around this complex issue. We will now consider the full list of recommendations in more detail and continue to ensure that young people’s development and well-being are a top priority."

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos* said: 
 
"As a psychologist and as a parent, I welcomed the opportunity to take a critical look at the sexualisation of young people. Over the past few months I have spoken to many people including young people, parents, teachers and professionals and it is clear to me that this is a very emotive issue.  
 
I wanted to ensure that this was not an opinion piece, but a review based on real data and academic research which will help generate further debate and inform decisions about how to address these issues going forward."

Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan said:

"Children today are growing up in a complex and changing world and they need to learn how to stay safe and resist inappropriate pressures. That is why we are making Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education statutory so that we can teach children about the real life issues they will face as they grow up.

PSHE already includes teaching about advertising and body image and from 2011 will include issues around violence against women and girls. The PSHE curriculum is age appropriate to give children and young people the right information at the right time to help them make the best choices and to develop their confidence.   

We are supporting schools with new guidance to help raise awareness among teachers about violence against women and girls, so that they can prevent and respond to these issues, and to show them how to address it in the curriculum.

"We have also recently launched a new campaign Click Clever Click Safe to help children and young people understand some of the risks they are exposed to when they go online. This will give parents the confidence to help their children enjoy the internet safely."

The BBC news website today ran the news item including a short video of teenage girls discussing the effects of magazines on their body imagery and sexual behaviour. It included the shocking statement that many teenage girl offer themselves to boys in order to become popular, such is the pressure on them.

The interview also showed teenage girls discussing the affects that celebrity images in magazines have on their own self-worth and on their behaviour.

Both interviews on the BBC News website can be accessed by clicking on the pics above.

Download both the report by Dr Papadopoulos and the governments strategy document from the E-Library Database

Source: NDS / BBC News / Unionsafety

* Dr Linda Papadopoulos is a well-known psychologist and media expert in the field of women and girls’ self-image. Her academic credentials include a PhD in psychology (City University), an MSc in Health Psychology (University of Surrey) and she has been a reader in psychology since 2001. Dr Papadopoulos is also a practising clinician who has worked in various treatment settings both privately and in the National Health Service.

Her clinical interests focus on body image and self-esteem, eating disorders and facial disfigurement. The intention of the review is to contribute to a wider debate with the public about the risk to children’s developmental well-being, and the risk posed by others to children, through the sexualisation process.