Sexualistation of Young People

the same period, violence occurring
irrespective of gender increased by just
2 per cent. In 19 per cent of depicted
offences, violence against women resulted
in death. In the vast majority of cases (92
per cent) the violence – or its graphic
consequences – was shown, rather than
implied or described. 175
Given the fact that the TV often acts
as a ‘child minder’ for many families, it
is imperative that parents are aware of
what constructs their children are being
exposed to – simple measures such as
switching the TV on and off to watch
specific shows or not allowing children
to have televisions in their bedrooms
have been found to make a significant
improvement in terms of what children
are exposed to and how they make
sense of it. 176 Spending time to speak to
children about what they have seen and
how it impacts them has been shown to
be one of the best ways to ensure that
the messages they receive are moderated
and challenged.
175 www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/
womeninperil/main.asp
176 Barr-Anderson, van den Berg, Neumark-
Sztainer and Story (2008)
It is important to note that research
shows that children do question images
and storylines based on sex on TV, yet
sexualised imagery in advertising and TV
has become so ‘naturalised’ that children
typically lack the ability for a cultural critique
of sexism. Research illustrates that children
absorb the ‘male gaze’ and conform to a
powerful ‘heterosexual logic’. 177
However, there is evidence to suggest
that TV programmes can be a valuable
source of ‘sexual learning’, with material
from some programmes being used to
generate resources which have been used
to support the Personal, Social, Health and
Economic (PSHE) education and Media
Studies curricula in secondary schools. 178
For example, the Channel 4 documentary,
the Sex Education Show Vs Pornography,
which explores the myths perpetuated by
the porn industry, has been used as a sex
education tool in some schools.
177 Buckingham and Bragg (2004)
178 Buckingham and Bragg (2004)
Sexualisation of Young People Review
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