Rebecca Duffett reports

Rebecca Duffett

In the news recently there have been calls for various industries to be mindful of publishing material which could lead to the sexualisation of young children. A lot of this media attention has come from the publication of the Bailey Review - a promised part of the Coalition Government's plan to tackle the issue.

Age ratings for music videos, more control over internet regulations and a reminder to broadcasters of the importance of the watershed. These are just some of the calls for action we've been hearing about. On their own these issues are less than ideal, but put together, they are seen by many as incredibly dangerous for children.

Dan Boucher from CARE explains what has been covered in the recent Bailey Review. "I guess the first transforming area of recommendation which it speaks into relates to the general portrayal of sexualised images to children and young people through advertising or through magazines that they might see - lads' mags and newspapers within their eye view when they are in shops. It makes recommendations that the advertising standards agency should have a greater regard for where children are likely to see images of a highly sexual nature and not to allow advertising with highly sexualised images to be used in areas where children are more likely to be. That really puts retailers under pressure to put lads' mags and the like at a much higher level out of the sight of children, which is a really important commitment.

In relation to the watershed, the idea is that before nine o'clock broadcasters should be much more careful about what they show and mindful of the fact that children might be watching. What it demonstrates is that the watershed is still alive and well as a principle, but that broadcasters are not really listening or having regard to the kinds of things that parents think are inappropriate. Whilst the watershed is there, it's not actually preventing things from being shown before nine o'clock, which is actually causing parents significant concern. The recommendation is that broadcasters start to listen to parents far more in the defining of what is an appropriate thing to show before nine o'clock.

Then there's a recommendation in relationship to internet enabled devices, be they mobile phones or computers. The challenge is to empower parents so that they can protect their children. To put in place mechanisms to protect their children from unwanted images as they surf the net. The challenge is an opportunity for the industry to come up with its own proposals in the first instance, but that if the industry doesn't respond with really good parental control mechanisms, then we've got tough regulation.

Then finally the whole area of music videos; music videos can be highly sexualised and yet they are not rated; they are exempt from the video recordings act. They are recommending that the video recordings act is amended so that music videos are within its remit and have to be age certificated."

The theory of these recommendations is good and has come about from a Government promise to look into people's concerns. This promise was made around the time of a highly controversial episode of X Factor broadcast late last year. Vivienne Pattison from Mediawatch reminds us of what happened. "They had two global music superstars - Rihanna and Christina Aguilera performing on the show. This is a show obviously aimed heavily at families and children and goes out before the watershed. Quite frankly, particularly with Christina Aguilera's routine, it looked like we strayed into a lap dancing club with half naked dances; lots of crotch grinding and pseudo sexual stuff. We think it's totally inappropriate for that time of the day in something that really is such a family show so popular with children. On one level I think you're looking at a programme where people are fighting it out to make it to be the biggest pop star - the new sensation, but actually what are we telling particularly girls that are watching that? We're saying that in order to make it, you have to take your kit off and look like you come from a porn film. That's all that's required of you. I think that that's something that really has come across."

X Factor auditions for this years show started at the start of June and producers will be busy getting ready for the live shows coming this autumn, but will they consider the findings of the Bailey Review in order to avoid more than 1000 complaints being made again this year? Dan Boucher hopes they will, "I would have hoped that after the outcry that followed the last viewing of the X Factor last year, that regardless of whether this report was being produced or not, that they would approach this years X Factor rather differently; but certainly with this clear and robust proposal in relationship to the watershed it will be that much harder for the producers to continue in the same vein as last year or at least in relationship to anything that goes out before nine o'clock."

Although the outcry to one show was strong, how dangerous is this to children? Are we becoming overly concerned about nothing? Vivienne Pattison doesn't think so, "This issue has really crossed some boundaries that other people working in the field of child protection, not necessarily focusing on the media have said, 'hey this is inappropriate', and parents watching it have said that it's inappropriate.

I'd like to quote you an email that I had from somebody who wasn't a member of Mediawatch who emailed me after the broadcast and she said that she is a social worker who works in child protection. She said that she was, 'horrified to see the explicit sexual soft porn dancing on X Factor. The powers that be should come and work for a month in child protection to see the results of children being exposed to soft and hard core porn images like this. Many of these children then abuse their own siblings, friends and then on to adult rape. When there's another James Bulger case the public will be jumping up and down saying social workers should be doing this or social workers should be doing that. What children see and hear whether on TV or video etc. begins in the home, and if they're fed with sexual images they'll play them out.'"

The Bailey Review has covered a lot of ground and challenged a number of different industries in their working practices. As the X Factor season draws closer, hopefully the media attention on the findings will be a stark reminder of the effects that certain images have on the next generation. Maybe this year, the show can go for the most part complaint-free with regard to the fears of sexualising children too early and hopefully other industries will also follow the recommendations allowing children to enjoy childhood, protected from the exploitation of early sexualisation.