# Letting Children be Children/Theme 1

Published by the Department of Education in London.
​THEME 1
The 'Wallpaper' of Children’s Lives
   "I feel that today’s society encourages children to grow up too quickly we do not allow them to be children.
   The media, technology, celebrities advertising all contribute towards this."
   Parent, Call for Evidence response
​Overview
* We are all living in an increasingly sexual and sexualised culture, although it is far from clear how we arrived at this point.
* Many parents feel that this culture is often inappropriate for their children and they want more power to say 'no'.
* Some parts of the business world and sections of the media seem to have lost their connection to parents and this is compounded in some new media where there is limited regulation.
* Where regulation does exist, regulators need to connect better with parents and encourage businesses to comply with the 'spirit of the regulation'. Where regulation does not exist, businesses need to behave more responsibly.
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
That sexualised images used in public places and on television, the internet, music videos, magazines, newspapers and other places are more in line with what parents find acceptable, and that the public space becomes more family friendly.
RECOMMENDATIONS
​Introduction
These images are being used not only in the editorial content of television programmes, music videos, websites, magazines and newspapers, but also by the commercial world
"I think that it's crept up on us gradually and this makes it difficult to take a stand against it."
Unfortunately, we have all become so used to the ubiquity of these images and messages that we no longer always register them consciously. This is Worrying."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
​Volume and nature of sexualised images — magazine displays
"Parents can control lots of things in the home. But when you are outside the home it's tricky... magazine covers are really difficult."
"I think inappropriate sexualised images on the front cover of magazines such as ['lads’mags'] are the worst. These are not classed as top shelf magazines and so are on shelving where children are able to view them easily."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
National Federation of Retail Newsagents, 2011
RECOMMENDATION
Volume and nature of sexualised images — in advertising
In our Call for Evidence from parents we asked whether, when they had been out and about with their children in the last few weeks, they had seen any images aimed at adults that they thought were inappropriate for their children to see. A majority (576) of the 846 respondents who answered this question said they had.These parents who had seen things they thought were inappropriate were then asked to give details of what they had seen, and of those:
* 134 mentioned shop displays with the majority concerned about the display of 'lads' mags' in newsagents, supermarkets and petrol stations.
* 113 respondents were unhappy with on—street advertising such as billboards and posters in bus shelters.
* 63 respondents specifically mentioned the sexual imagery in advertisements for perfume and lingerie.
"Advertising for perfumes is almost always of a sexual nature."
"Perfume adverts are particularly inappropriate as they often include semi—naked women or couples."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
on the locating of alcohol advertising close to schools. The voluntary code of practice ​for members of the Outdoor Media Centre, the trade body for outdoor media owners, states that:
Outdoor Media Centre, 2011
RECOMMENDATION
Reducing the amount of on-street advertising containing sexualised imagery in locations where children are likely to see it. The advertising industry should take into account the social responsibility clause of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code when considering placement of advertisements with sexualised imagery near schools, in the same way as they already do for alcohol advertisements. The
Volume and nature of sexualised content — on television
"It is unfortunate that the lazy, uninventive 'sex sells' attitude of the media which plasters sexual images and articles everywhere, causes parents to have to address the topic with their children a lot sooner than many would like, before they are at an age where they are emotionally equipped to understand it."
Parent, Call for Evidence response
"There is too much sexual (and violent) content before the watershed, particularly in soaps... The other problem is often programmes are repeated on digital channels at different hours of the day.
I find that many of the TV programmes e. g. [evening soap opera] are inappropriate for the time of day they are shown (even the advertisements for many of the programmes are inappropriate)."
Parent, Call for Evidence response
We believe that there is a strong sense that broadcasters are at times actively working against parents, and some parents have expressed a good degree of disappointment that the traditionally trusted control of the television 'watershed' appears to be less strictly
"The 9pm watershed does not seem to exist anymore. Either that or things that are now deemed acceptable viewing content for children are not what I consider to be appropriate."
"What happened to the TV watershed? Does it exist anymore? If so does it apply to all TV channels?"
Parent, Call for Evidence response
"The television watershed is an industry standard and is well known and understood by the audience... In all but exceptional circumstances, programmes before 9pm are suitable for general audiences including children."
Broadcasters, Call for Evidence response
Figure 2: Audience awareness of the television watershed
* 93 per cent of respondents are aware of the watershed.
* 74 per cent of respondents think the time of the watershed is about right (up from 72 per cent last year).
* The proportion of people who think the watershed should be earlier has remained steady over the last decade at 9 per cent.
* 72 per cent think the overall level of regulation for television programmes is about right.
Source: Ofcom, 2010
Figure 3: BBC audience views on taste and standards
* 46 per cent of the viewing audience surveyed thought that morality, values or standards of behaviour in TV programmes have been getting worse in recent years.
* Issues of top concern were strong language, violence and sexual content on TV.
* 50 per cent said they 'personally see or hear things on television which you find offensive'.
* 40 per cent of the audience reported they had seen or heard something on TV in the last 12 months that they felt should not have been broadcast.
Source: BBC, 2009
"There are variations in how the watershed is used to regulate children's television viewing. The watershed plays a crucial role for parents with children aged 5-8, and the trust in pre-watershed programming, particularly that leading up to 7. 30pm, forms an essential part of parents' regulation and control of children's viewing. However, by the time children reach their teens, parents believe that 'they know it already' and that it is no longer appropriate to protect them too much. While violence was the type of content identified by viewers as the type of content which caused most concern, they were most likely to nominate programmes with sex and swearing as those they did not want their children to watch."
Broadcaster, Call for Evidence response
Clearly television cannot be indifferent to popular culture or turn its back on pop music, comedy or other popular entertainments. Nor are we suggesting that pre—watershed dramas should not deal with difficult issues. Yet it appears to be the case that many parents are concerned about the content of certain programmes shown before the watershed and that pre—watershed programming can be unexpectedly difficult for parents. We believe that parents do not accept, for example, that if a variety show features a pop musician with a reputation for delivering highly sexualised performances that the broadcaster has licence to sail as close to the edge of compliance with the Broadcasting Code as possible. It appears from a recent ruling that Ofcom agrees with this: in response to over 2,800 complaints from viewers about the live performances of Rihanna and Christina Aguilera on the X Factor final show of 11 December 2010, Ofcom found that while the content of the programme did not breach the Broadcasting Code:
Ofcom, 2011(1)
​RECOMMENDATION
Sexualised content of music videos and music performances
"Whenever I have seen music videos lately I have been completely disheartened by the relentless portrayal of women as sex objects. More often than not they show young women in hardly any clothes basically simulating sex. .. For a lot of acts that are popular with young people, the music video has become a way of pushing boundaries to see how much they can get away with."
"Pop videos can be particularly difficult when children like the music, but the accompanying video is far too sexual."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
With music videos... I have a battle on my hands with raising my son when it comes to respecting women and not to see them as sexual objects. He seems obsessed with how they look as opposed to their talents or abilities and this causes me concern."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
"A disturbing thing for me is my daughter — she sees stuff on telly and thinks she has to look like that! It's the music videos for her... they're half naked — do they really need to do that to sell a song?
The music videos that children can watch are extremely explicit — from the clothes they wear to the words and actions. Some songs my 13 year old sings back are shocking.
Lots of songs contain inappropriate words and lots of sexual innuendo. My little girl loves listening to music and will copy the songs and moves without really understanding... with her friends she will often do shows for us and although usually sweet and funny, they sometimes worry me because they will be doing 'sexy dancing' and I have to try and explain why I don't think it's OK.
Parents, Review qualitative research
Music videos are currently exempt from classification under the Video Recordings Act 1984 and 2010 (VRA) which means that, unlike films, there is no restriction on children purchasing any but the most explicit of music videos. There are also no restrictions on children downloading music videos of any nature.As the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) explains:
BBFC, Call for Evidence response
RECOMMENDATION
User-generated content on the internet
Access by children to age-restricted and adult material — through the internet and video-on-demand services
The Review noted that there is some (but not nearly enough) good practice in place. For example, some television—on—demand sites age rate their content and offer a facility to block access to adult programmes.
Video-on-demand (VOD) is a system which allows users to select and watch programmes at any time the viewer wants through televisions, personal computers and internet—enabled devices. Depending on the VOD service they access, viewers can watch previously broadcast television programmes, films, or video works of any kind.
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"The internet and on-demand TV is my main concern, with children watching in their bedrooms. What is needed is a default setting for pornography, so that parents cannot leave it accessible by mistake."
"I think it's far too easy to become exposed to unsuitable material on the internet."
"My biggest concern is the internet which is also invading young people's mobile phones."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
Figure 4: Parental supervision of children's internet use
* One in eight internet users aged 5-7 (12 per cent) mostly use the internet on their own, rising to three in ten aged 8-11 (29 per cent) and over half of those aged 12-15 (56 per cent).
* Nearly one quarter (23 per cent) of 12-155 say they go online via a mobile phone. However, only one in five (21 per cent) of parents of 12-155 with such phones say that access to over-18 online material has been restricted.
* Just 37 per cent of parents of children who use the internet at home have any controls set or any software loaded to stop their child viewing certain types of website; 30 per cent say they use safe search settings.
* The majority of parents of children aged 5-15 (78 per cent) have rules in place about their child's internet use. Half of all parents of an 8-11 year old child (52 per cent) regularly check what their child is doing, but only 36 per cent of parents of a 5-7 year old and 34 per cent of parents of 12-15s.
* Around one in four parents of 5-155 (26 per cent) are concerned about the content of the websites their child visits.
* 23 per cent of parents think it likely that their child will experience something that bothers them online in the next six months.
Source: Ofcom, 2011(2)
Figure 5: Children encountering sexual images online
* 22 per cent of girls and 26 per cent of boys aged 9 – 16 report having encountered sexual images online or offline in the past 12 months.
* 8 per cent of 11 – 16 year olds report that they have seen online sexual images including nudity.
* 6 per cent have seen images of someone having sex.
* 6 per cent have seen someone's genitals online.
* 2 per cent say they have seen violent sexual images.
* Among children who have seen online sexual images, 41 per cent of parents say their child has not seen such images, while 30 per cent recognise they have and 29 per cent say they don't know.
Source: Livingstone, Haddon, Görzig and Ólafsson, 2010
Parents are, with schools, a key source of information on digital safety (Ofcom 2011(2)). The UKCCIS Click Clever, Click Safe code (Directgov (1)) was set up to be an effective and popular way for both parents and children to remember a set of simple online behaviours
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