A report criticising the increased sexualisation of children has called for tighter restrictions on raunchy music videos and the sale of skimpy clothing to minors.
The report, drawn up by Mothers’ Union chief executive Reg Bailey, calls for more rigid enforcement of the times when confronting music videos, by stars such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, can be shown on TV.
A website should be available for parents to complain about sexualised products aimed at children, the report will also say.
“Society has become increasingly full of sexualised imagery,” Bailey said.
“This has created a wallpaper to children’s lives. Parents feel there is “no escape” and no “clear space” where children can be children.”
The report also raises concerns over the sale of overtly sexual children’s clothing, such as padded bikinis and lace lingerie.
Nine high-street chains, some of which have been forced to withdraw inappropriate clothes in the past, have signed up to a new code of practice drawn up by the British Retail Consortium, hoping to pre-empt the implications of the new report.
The guidelines advise retailers that “fabrics and cut should provide for modesty” and “slogans and imagery must be age appropriate and without undesirable associations or connotations”.
Prime minister David Cameron, who called for the report, said: “We should look to put the brakes on an unthinking drift towards ever greater commercialisation and sexualisation.”
