A recent review commissioned by the Home Secretary and published in the UK by Dr Linda Papadopoulos, “Sexualisation of Young People” has put the spotlight on the sexualisation of children and teenagers within our society. It has brought to light growing trends that are both alarming and insidious. The continued de-sensitisation to the sexualisation of our teenagers and their bombardment by the media is making the unacceptable acceptable to both teenagers and adults alike.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos clearly outlines what sexualisation is as quoted by Tolman 2002 “…in the current environment, teen girls are encouraged to look sexy, yet they know little about what it means to be sexual, to have sexual desires and to make rational and responsible decisions about pleasure and risk within intimate relationships that acknowledge their own desires.”

She then defines sexualisation further,  “sexualisation, is the imposition of adult sexuality on to children and young people before they are capable of dealing with it, mentally, emotionally or physically. It does not apply to self-motivated sexual play, nor to the dissemination of age‑appropriate material about sexuality.”

Dr Linda Papadopoulos also says “hyper-sexualisation and objectification of girls on the one hand, and hyper masculinisation of boys on the other, perpetuate and reinforce each other. Throughout the course of the review, what has become very apparent is that sexualisation is a multi-factorial issue and therefore needs to be approached from a range of perspectives, taking into account not only the emotional and cognitive development of children but also the influence of family, culture and society as a whole.”

The review addresses the question posed by McLellan, “How have sex, sexiness and sexualisation gained such favour in recent years as to be the measure by which women’s and girls’ worth is judged?” (McLellan, Sexualised and Trivialized – Making Equality Impossible).

McLellan goes on to say, “While it is not a new phenomenon by any means, there is something different about the way it occurs today and how it impacts on younger and younger girls.”

The report addresses issues such as:

  • What is sexualisation and why does it matter?

  • Sexualised content and the mainstreaming of pornography:  new technologies, internet, teenage magazines, mobile phones, television, advertising, video games, and music videos

  • The impact of sexualisation: body image, mental health, eating disorders, sexual objectification, and gender inequality

  • Sexualisation and violence: pornography and sexual aggression, child sexual abuse, child pornography, and

  • The role and responsibility of parents, schools and corporate.

Some of the alarming facts that have emerged from this study include:

Television

Violence against women on TV had risen by 120 % since 2004, and

Violence against teenage girls has risen by 400 %.

Music videos and lyrics

75% of videos contain visual presentations of sexual intimacy

56.6% of videos contain violence, and

81% of videos contain both violence and sexual imagery.

New technologies

80 % of young people use the Internet daily

59 % of 8–17-year-olds use social networking sites to make new friends

33 % of parents say they set no rules for their children’s use of social networking sites

43 % of children say their parents set no rules for use of social networking sites.

The widespread use of new technologies now means that most young people have accessed some sort of pornographic image either via the Internet, mobile phone, films or magazines by the time they reach their teenage years.

The mobile phone industry is making millions each year by making pornography available on mobile phones. Most phones now have cameras and the pressure to photograph yourself or others in sexually explicit poses is increasing. These images are then circulated far and wide. What many teenagers do not realise is that once an image is on the net or sent via mobile phone then it is out there for anyone to see and will stay there for many years to come.

Most researchers agree that sexualising children places them at risk. Many of these risks have been magnified by advancements in the media and emerging technology. The sexualisation of our children affects society as a whole. A new generation of children are growing up with diminished values, a generation who are embracing the normalisation of wantonness, pornography and violence without question.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos says “children and young people are not only being exposed to an increasing number of hyper-sexualised images; they are also being sold the idea that girls should look ‘hot’, regardless of their age. As such, they are facing pressures that children in the past simply didn’t have to face.”

She concludes by saying “children’s ability to understand and assimilate information develops over time. Given the proliferation and accessibility of sexualised images, it is almost inevitable that children will come into contact with content they’re not ready to understand. Not only can this be upsetting and disruptive, it can also lead them to make assumptions about what’s appropriate that could lead them into potentially dangerous and damaging situations.”

It is clear that sexualisation is having a negative effect on young people’s physical, mental and emotional health. The most important message that comes out of this review is the dangers of the growing trend towards the ‘normalisation’ and acceptance of both the sexualisation of our children and the connection between this growing trend and the increased acts of violence against woman and children.

Writer, Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Dr Linda Papadopoulos, “Sexualisation of Young People” 2010

To read review “Sexualisation of Young People” in full