By Mark Reidy
Record Reporter
THE growing realisation of the harm being inflicted on young people by an increasingly sexualised culture has become the groundswell for what may be the next sexual revolution.
Studies and reports from the UK, US and Australia are consistently revealing the negative influences of a sex-driven media and the fight has begun to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of society.
A report published by the UK’s Home Office last month confirmed the damage that is being caused by the escalating number of sexualised images and licentious media messages to which young people are being exposed.
The British government commissioned independent psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos to examine the effects of the increased sexualisation of society and to establish if there was a link to the growing violence against women.
The report, titled Sexualisation of Young People, defined sexualisation as “the imposition of adult sexuality on to children and young people before they are capable of dealing with it, mentally, emotionally or physically”.
Among Papadopoulos’ conclusions was the acknowledgement that not only had there been an unprecedented increase in the volume of sexual images in recent times, but that children were being portrayed with greater frequency in adult ways, while adult women were being infantilised. “This leads to a blurring of the lines between sexual maturity and immaturity,” she stated, “and effectively, legitimises the notion that children can be related to as sexual objects.”
The confusion that this creates in the minds of young women confirmed the findings of US psychologist, Mary Pipher, in her best-selling book Reviving Ophelia.
Pipher believed that the toxic nature of the media culture was one of the major reasons that girls were, with tragic results, abandoning their true sense of self and adopting a dissociated identity that they believed would provide them with greater social acceptance.
It has led to an accelerated adolescence that encouraged girls to present and promote themselves in ways that are beyond their cognitive ability and sexual maturity.
It is a phenomenon that is being commercially reflected by the increasing number of children’s products that are being presented in a sexualised fashion such as dolls, clothes and toys.
Papadopoulos is also concerned at the “pornification” of magazines, advertising and music videos that are being aimed at both male and female teenagers.
She says that these contain a predominant message for boys to be sexually dominant and to objectify the female body and for girls to measure their self-worth by how sexually desirable they can present themselves. “This sends out a powerful message to young people about what is of value and what they should focus on”.
Studies in Australia have similarly reflected the detrimental influences of a more sexually saturated culture. In 2006, Australia Institute, an influential Canberra based think tank, published two discussion papers on the sexualisation of children in the media.
The papers, Corporate paedophilia: sexualisation of children in the media and Letting children be children: stopping the sexualisation of children in Australia, triggered extensive debate and discussion across the country from academics to parents and in particular within the media.
In March 2008, the Senate referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Environment, Communication and the Arts to establish the gravity of the issue.
Their Report, tabled in June 2008, concluded that the “inappropriate sexualisation of children in Australia is of increasing concern” and a number of recommendations were made.
Most of these recommendations related to the Advertising Standards Board and classification issues; however, their 13th and final recommendation was of a more visionary nature: “The committee recommends that state and territory governments, which have the responsibility for education, consider the introduction into all Australian schools of comprehensive sexual health and relationships education programmes which are inclusive of both young people and parents, adopting a consistent national approach to the question.”
Child exploitation changes bid
FAMILY Voice Australia, a national ministry that seeks to uphold Christian values, has produced an open letter to Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett suggesting that two changes be made to the 2009 Child Exploitation Material and Classification Legislation Amendment Bill.
The ministry is suggesting that the definition of “child” in the Bill be raised from 16 years of age to 18 and that the “literary” or “artistic” defence against child pornography offences be removed.
Those wishing to support the recommendations must send their response to Family Voice Australia by 31 March 2010.
To view or download the letter go to
http://www.fava.org.au/content/fol-pdf-doc/584