Lads' Mags: Normalising Porn

Delegates at an education conference were recently told that the front cover of Zoo magazine sums up all that is wrong with Western society.  Dr Helen Wright of St Mary’s Calne school in Wiltshire told the The Institute of Development Professionals in Education that the magazine was complicit in prematurely sexualising young people and objectifying women.

“Is this what we want our young people to aim for?  Is this what success should mean to them?”  she asked.

Dr Wright is not the only person to have shared her unease.  Men’s magazines have been making the news over the past few weeks; not because of their insightful journalism or witty editorials but because of the effect they have had on our culture.

Terri White was part of the team that launched Nuts magazine and she recently wrote about her experience for The Guardian.  She concluded that, whilst these magazines didn't create our sexualised culture, they responded to it, reinforced it and normalised it.

“We did too much damage” she wrote.  “We told a generation of young men that a woman's value lay in the pertness of her breasts and willingness to flash in a public place… we told a generation of young women that it wasn't necessary to get an education or build a career to improve your life. Just be willing to bare your breasts.”

Ms White is not the only former lads’ mag journalist to express her concerns.  Loaded is the most notorious of the ‘lads’ mags’ which came to define the ‘lad culture’ of the 90s and noughties.  The magazine’s former editor, Martin Daubney, wrote of his concerns over what he had created.

He said that initially endless pictures of topless women seemed like ‘harmless fun, dictated by market forces’ but he ‘never stopped to consider issues like the crass sexualisation of women.’  Looking back he now wonders whether Loaded was, in fact, a gateway to harder pornographic magazines. 

“We were normalising soft porn, and in so doing we must have made it more acceptable for young men to dive into the murky waters of harder stuff on the internet. And, for that, I have a haunting sense of regret… maybe Loaded was part of the problem. Was it an ‘enabler’ to young teenage boys who’d consume harder porn later, in the same way dabbling with cannabis might lead to stronger addictions to cocaine or heroin?”

As things stand magazines such as Zoo and Loaded have no age rating and can be bought quite legally by children.  Despite their sexually explicit covers there are only voluntary codes governing the way in which they are displayed.

Much progress has already been made to protect children from publications like this – not least last year’s announcement that the UK’s major supermarkets will now be covering up or banishing magazines with sexually explicit covers.  However, there is still a long way to go and we look forward to making an impact in the future.

Government launches consultation into online child protection

The impact of online sexual content on children is of great concern and yet research suggests that as many as one in three under-tens have seen online pornography.  Protecting them from potentially harmful content must be a priority.

The Department for Education has now launched the promised consultation on how best to protect children from harmful online content.  Ministers are now suggesting that users should automatically be barred from accessing adult material online unless they choose to view it.

This is just one of a number of options that are being consulted upon:

The Opt-in System in which harmful content - not just pornography but other harmful material such as suicide, violent, self harm and pro-anorexia sites – is blocked as a default unless users contact their ISPs and ask for this to be reversed.

Active Choice in which new customers buying new devices or broadband services are asked whether they would like open access to all content at the point of purchase.  However it is unlikely that this would provide widespread protection across the UK until the end of this decade by which time a further generation of children will have been exposed to degrading and damaging material.

Active Choice-plus is aimed at reaching a compromise and would see adult content automatically blocked unless users choose to unblock using a simple action such as removing a tick from a box.  This is based on the idea that most people are likely to accept the suggested option.

This consultation marks a huge step forward in our campaign to protect children from harmful media and I hope that you will take the opportunity to have your say in how best to protect the next generation.

You can view the consultation document here.  The consultation will remain open until 6^th September and Ministers will respond with their favoured option later in the autumn.  Watch this space over the next few weeks for an initiative which will make it easier for you to have your say.

Children easy prey in online game

This week a Channel 4 investigation revealed that the popular virtual world for children, Habbo Hotel is hosting seemingly routine occurrences of sexualised or violent online chat as well as sexual approaches to young users.

The virtual world, which has more than 250 million registered users aged between 13 and 18 years-old and attracts 10 million users a month, is meant to be a fun game in which children create avatars and furnish their own digital hotel rooms.

Channel 4 News began to investigate the site after children who were helping them with research into cyberbullying raised concerns about Habbo Hotel.  A journalist posed as an 11 year old girl on the site and experienced not only pornographic chat but invitations to connect outside the site using messaging services and webcams.  Not only were these activities not blocked, but the infrastructure of the online world appeared geared to such sexualisation, with some rooms given names such as "naughty nightclub".

The investigation also found that there have been two recent cases where paedophiles have been convicted for sexually abusing dozens of children who they befriended on Habbo Hotel.

When news of the investigation broke parents, politicians and charities expressed their shock and concern.  A clear theme ran through all the reactions; businesses have to do more to keep young people safe.

Internet safety expert John Carr assisted with the investigation.  He said of the experience: “What I've just seen makes me think this is a dangerous place for youngsters to be.   Businesses shouldn't put children at risk. If they are in this business, they have to be in it in the right way - the right moderators, the right software, to stop this happening."

An NSPCC spokesman said: "We've been concerned for some time that websites designed for children and young people are vulnerable... I think the industry needs to take it a bit more seriously. They're reluctant to. It's not very good publicity for them to say: this is a fantastic resource for their child, and they may also be targeted for abuse."

The children's minister, Tim Loughton, said: "Businesses need to do more to help parents enable their children to use the internet safely and responsibly…  Sites where children – some really very young indeed – are known to be networking should have suitable and appropriate moderating."

Vice President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes said that Habbo could face closure if it did not protect its users.  She said “All of the technology companies should feel the heat.  But that is only part of the story.  It is the technology companies, the parents, the teachers, it also the government.  It is up to all of us to address the issues.”

She is quite right.  There is no ‘magic bullet’ that will guarantee children’s online safety.  Over the past few weeks the proposals to block pornography as a default measure have met with heavy criticism from an industry which would like to put all the responsibility onto parents and consumers.  This is unrealistic and business must pay its part in keeping our children safe. 

Since the details of the investigation have been released businesses have been keen to distance themselves from Habbo Hotel.  A major investor in Habbo’s parent company has dumped its 13 per cent stake in the business and high street retailers including Tesco and WHSmith have withdrawn Habbo gift cards from sale.

With the right allocation of resources, moderation would have allowed Habbo to operate safely, but it must be assumed that those resources were sacrificed for profit.  The reaction this week is a clear signal that a business model which doesn't include safety and protection is unsustainable.

How the media affects us all

Earlier this week the All Party Parliamentary Group on body image published the results of its inquiry, Reflections on Body Image. 

Many commentators expressed surprise at the existence of such a group but its report (which you can access here) made compelling reading. 

The inquiry heard that more than half of the public has a negative body image and that body dissatisfaction in the UK was on the rise.  Girls as young as five are worrying about how they look and cosmetic surgery rates have increased by nearly 20% in the past four years.

According to the group’s report, pressure to achieve an unrealistic body ideal is now an underlying cause of serious health and relationship problems, damaging society by wreaking havoc with self esteem and affecting progress at school and work. 

The inquiry concluded that unrealistic media images were largely to blame finding that a toxic combination of the media, advertising and celebrity culture amount for almost three-quarters of the influence on body image in society.

The chair of the APPG, Jo Swinson MP, told the BBC’s Today programme that "it's something which has existed for a long time... but in terms of the scale of it, that is what is new, and it is being driven by the proliferation of media imagery portraying a so-called 'perfected ideal' that is entirely unattainable for the vast majority of people,"

Speaking at the launch of the report the CEO of Central YMCA said: "It's clear there's something seriously wrong in society when children as a young as five are worrying about their appearance, based on the messages they are seeing all around them.”

The report made a series of recommendations which include:

• A requirement for advertisers to run long-term campaigns that reflect consumer desire for "authenticity and diversity"
• A review of  broadcast and editorial guidelines on reporting on body-image issues
• The creation of a new set of regulations controlling cosmetic surgery advertising

We have long held that the media we consume affects our attitudes, outlook and behaviour for good or for ill.  This report bears that out and shows how tragic the consequences can be; one in three men would sacrifice a year of life to achieve their ideal body.

Neither is this influence related solely to body image.  Highly sexual media imagery, which is almost impossible to avoid, is leading to a generation of prematurely sexualised children; forced to grow up too soon and being led to believe that their value comes only from their sexual appeal or activities and behaving accordingly.  Similarly media which portrays violence as normal and ignores the humanity of victims is leading to an increased acceptance of violence in our society.

The measures recommended in this report are welcome but they must be seen as part of the ‘bigger picture’.  As a society we are shaped by the media which surrounds us; it is time for a wider debate about whether we are happy with the direction in which this has led us.

How pornography impacts children

This week I attended an excellent conference in parliament which examined the effect of pornography on the adolescent brain.

Biopsychologist Dr William Struthers presented the latest research on brain development and outlined how early exposure to sexually explicit material affects development, attitudes and behaviour.

We learned that the arousal and reward areas of the brain develop before the area which governs context which means that early exposure to pornography exploits the developmentally compromised brain.

It is, quite literally, a violation of the childhood mind.

It is also a violation of the concept of consent; for over 80% of young people their first exposure to pornography is unintentional and memories of these first exposures are usually vivid and typically have negative emotional associations. 

Children’s access to pornography is, in effect, an on-going experiment.  However, the latest research shows that the greater the exposure to sexually explicit material the greater likelihood of developing poor self confidence, depression, social isolation and maladjustment and decreased bonding with parents and caregivers.

It is quite clear that the huge benefits of the technological revolution have come at a cost.  We have to find a solution in order to protect generations to come.

This week Google’s head of UK public policy has rejected the proposals to block porn as default unless specifically requested by adults.  She said the answer was greater education for parents.

She is quite right that there is clearly a great need to inform parents how harmful some internet content can be and to show them how best to protect their children.  However, Ofcom’s research shows us that almost half of parents do not currently use a filter for websites which means that millions of children remain at risk from potentially harmful online content.  We must act now in order to protect them.

Google makes a huge amount of money from online pornography – their head of public policy said that she had ‘no idea’ exactly how much  - so it is hardly surprising that they should resist measures to restrict access to it.

Why should the internet industry uniquely rest outside regulation?  Protecting children must be our first priority.

Vivienne Pattison, Director

Protecting children online

In 2004, the UK's mobile operators, under the auspices of the Mobile Broadband Group, published a code of practice about how to offer a safe browsing experience for children.   The result was that filters were automatically put on all pay-as-you-go handsets, regardless of the age of the user. In order to remove the filters, users needed either to ring up customer services or go into a mobile shop with proof of age.

At that time, few children accessed the internet via mobiles; today however, one in five children now own smartphones.

This responsible and far-sighted measure has helped to protect many children from potentially harmful content.   However, it was attacked this week by the Open Rights Group which published a report in which it found that 60 websites, including political commentaries and personal blogs, were incorrectly blocked by mobile filters designed to prevent children viewing adult content.

The group said the filters were ‘censoring’ normal web content.

In response the Mobile Broadband Group, denied this.  The group’s chairman said: "Even allowing for the ORG missing a few, 60 misclassified websites does not amount to anything that could reasonably be described as 'censorship', particularly when mobile operators are happy to remove the filters when customers show they are over 18 and will re-classify websites when misclassifications are pointed out to them….  this is how the small handful of websites that get referred to mobile operators each year are already dealt with".

Referencing their research the Open Rights Group has called on the government to reject automatic network filtering and instead give parents the option of whether they want such filters turned on.

The group claims that default block can have ‘harmful’ consequences for everyone.  We would argue that the consequences of children accessing adult material are far more harmful linked as they are to an increased risk of depression, self-esteem and identity disorders, premature sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, reduced educational attainment and success, constrained and stereotypical ideas about gender roles and negative consequences for cognitive, physical and psychological health.

There is no magic bullet; no filter system will be 100% effective and 100% error free but we believe that blocking adult material as a default measure remains the best way to protect children from harmful content.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the UK is a signatory, states that ‘In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.’

The rights of children to a safe and healthy media environment must be taken seriously.

NB: If you are a parent it’s worth noting that this only applies to pay-as-you go phones; with contract phones users have to ask for filters to be installed.  This should always be done as a matter or course because the automatic filters installed on phones can be got around by using a wi-fi connection to access the internet rather than the phone specific 3G signal.

Children's rights are just as important as those of big business

Last week the High Court ruled that Internet Service Providers must block access to the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay. 

ISPs had previously resisted calls to block the site but following this ruling they have said that they will comply.

This move shows that it is technically possible to block websites at ISP level which means it must also be possible to put in place measures to combat the harmful effect of online porn on children.

However, the block has only come about because of an expensive court case brought by the British Phonographic Industry.  Big businesses can afford to enforce their rights through the courts but parents and children do not have this option.

Which powerful corporations are fighting to protect the interests of the victims of the ‘free and open’ internet that enables children to have pornography streamed into their bedrooms?

These are the interests which need real protection.  Children’s rights are just as important as those of big business and it is time for industry which makes more that £3 billion a year from selling internet access to take part of the responsibility for protecting children online.  If the industry will not do this then the Government must legislate; our children deserve adequate protection.

No further details of the promised consultation into protecting children from harmful online material have emerged this week.  As soon as they do, we will let you know.