When pop becomes porn

Over the last few weeks children’s access to online pornography has been much in the news.  Few can doubt how damaging the consequences of such access can be but there is something much more subtle also at play.  David Cameron described our society as ‘sleepwalking to a place where porn is the norm’ and nowhere has this been more apparent than in several music videos released recently by some of the world’s biggest female pop stars.

Recent videos from Britney Spears, Rhianna and Miley Cyrus have included nudity, highly sexualised dancing and imagery and visual references to prostitution.  What is particularly disturbing about this is that the fan base of all these performers is so young.  Watching them, one could be forgiven for thinking that these videos have been produced to appeal to an adult male audience but, in reality, they are far more likely to be viewed by school children.

Young boys watching these videos will come believe that women are merely sex objects for their entertainment and young girls will learn that their value lies in their sex appeal and how they look.

Many critics will cry that ‘it was ever thus’ but what we are seeing as mainstream in music videos now is barely inches away from pornography.  This week two of the Grandes Dames of pop music, Sinead O’Conner and Annie Lennox, waded into the debate.

Annie Lennox described the sexualised imagery of modern pop videos as "dark" and "pornographic". "I don't think there's one parent of young boys and girls in this country that would honestly, comfortably say they were fine with seeing their kids being exposed to that kind of thing."

She told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm all for freedom of expression but this is clearly one step beyond, and it's clearly into the realm of porn.  "How do you stop your kids being exposed to it? It's so powerful. "

The singer called for pop videos to be rated in the same way as films and said that pressure from parents could help to establish "very clear boundaries" on acceptable standards in videos.

Parents who responded to the government’s Bailey Review in 2011 cited music videos as a major concern.  The report subsequently recommended that age restrictions should be applied to music videos to prevent children buying sexually explicit videos and guide broadcasters over when to show them.

Presently music videos, along with news, sport and religious video works, are not classified by the BBFC.  Last year we responded to a DCMS consultation and expressed our view that it is time they were.  Following the consultation the government announced that they would change The Video Recordings Act so that any of these products that are unsuitable for younger children will have to carry the familiar "12", "15" and "18" BBFC age ratings in future. The changes are expected to come into force next year.

Ministers have also called on the industry to develop solutions so that more online videos, particularly those that are likely to be sought out by children and young people, carry advice about their age suitability in future.

It is worth noting that as porn culture is increasingly normalised it is not just the audience who are being manipulated but also the stars themselves.  Performer Britney Spears recently spoke about how she felt she was pushed too far produce sexually explicit music videos.  Sinead O'Connor penned an open letter to the Miley Cyrus warning her not to be exploited by the music business.

Over the past few years the tide of public opinion has begun to turn and, as a society, we are taking stock of the position in which we now find ourselves.  It is vital that we continue to speak out about the pornification of our culture and the damage it is causing, particularly to the next generation.

As Annie Lennox said: "I think this debate is about getting the voice of reason back there to say ‘look, we want to protect our kids.’"

One to watch

This week Channel 4 begins its Real Sex Season which, it claims, will ‘reclaim sex from pornography’.  A laudable aim but, given Channel 4’s history, I am sceptical that this is what will be delivered.  This is the channel which bought us Drugs Live, Dogging Tales and The Joy of Teen Sex, all of which were heavy on titillation and light on educational value.  This season, which promises us the luridly titled Sex Box and Date My Porn Star, looks like it may be more of the same.

However, at the risk of becoming a hostage to fortune, one of the programmes does look very interesting:

Porn on the Teenage Brain is a documentary written and presented by Martin Daubney, who resigned his position as editor of lad’s magazine Loaded after becoming a father and realising that he wanted nothing more to do with the world of soft porn that he'd been peddling for over a decade.

In his film Mr Daubney sets out to understand the reality of the pornography today’s young people are consuming because it’s free and an unregulated click away.  He also investigates what effect it has on their malleable brains and the ways in which they relate to each other.

Mr Daubney has written a moving article about his experience of making the film in the Daily Mail which we commend to you.  He says:

“I was profoundly saddened by what I had witnessed. While teenage boys will always be fascinated by, and curious about, sex, what's now considered 'normal' by under-18s is an entirely distorted view of intercourse and the way relationships should be conducted.  It seemed as if the children's entire expectation of sex had been defined by what they see in online porn. “

Research undertaken for the film found that the vast majority of UK teens had seen online sexual imagery or pornographic films.  Brain scans carried out for the programme also found that the compulsive users of porn showed the same signs of addiction in their brain as those hooked on alcohol or drugs.

The reward centre of the brain is fully developed by the time we're teenagers, but the part of the brain that regulates our urges - the pre-frontal cortex - isn't fully developed until our mid-20s. The brains of teenagers are not wired to say ‘stop’; they are wired to want more. The implications of this study are profoundly troubling.

“If porn does have the insidious power to be addictive, then letting our children consume it freely via the internet is like leaving heroin lying around the house, or handing out vodka at the school gates” says Mr Daubney.

 “Could it even have a wider impact on their lives, blighting their ability to function in the world, get good qualifications and jobs?”

The programme airs at 10pm on Channel 4 on Monday 30^th.   It does not promise to be an ‘easy’ watching experience but, given that legal porn now accounts for a third of global internet traffic, it is important that we are informed about what is involved and its possible consequences.

In the words of Martin Daubney: “Like many parents, I fear that my boy's childhood could be taken away by pornography. So we have to fight back.”

Online conduct is just as damaging as online content

 

It has recently been reported that ATVOD, the video services regulator, will be meeting with financial organisations to discuss the blocking of payments to websites which fail to stop children accessing online pornography.

This proposal is intended to target the growing exposure of children to hard-core pornography which, although legal, is highly explicit.  Some websites require users wishing to access this material to verify their age but many others offer free unrestricted access and these are the sites, many of which are hosted overseas,  which the new regulations seek to target.

ATVOD report that the financial services firms have been given a “very positive response” to the proposal.  Credit card companies already monitor illegal pornographic websites and liaise with CEOP and the Internet Watch Foundation but this will be the first time that banks and credit card companies have been asked to police legal material.

It hoped a voluntary deal can be reached but government sources have indicated that Ministers would be prepared to consider legislation if necessary.  Ministers are also backing efforts to encourage the internet industry to develop ways of verifying the age of individuals viewing websites.

This is very exciting news and we are really delighted that the government continues to make online child protection a priority.  This proposal, along with the recent ‘default-on’ measures will make a real difference to children’s accesses to potentially harmful content.

However these new measures will have minimal effect on harmful contact and conduct which remain a major concern

Also in the news are reports that cyber-blackmailers are abusing hundreds of children in the UK.   Abusers posing online as children talk victims into sexual acts or sharing of images, then threaten to send pictures to the child's family and friends.  Occasionally the demands are financial but more often victims are forced into ever more disturbing sexual activity or self-harm.

This is, of course, illegal and is a police matter.  It is some small consolation that a group of men are about to stand trial in an undisclosed, non-European country for inciting children to commit abusive sexual acts. But the numbers involved in that single operation are a horrifying insight into the scale of the problem: of the 490 children targeted worldwide some 322 were blackmailed, 96 of whom were in Britain.  And the same vast geographic reach of the exploitation that makes it so peculiarly disturbing also makes it difficult to police.

There is still much to be done to help children both identify the dangers and disentangle themselves if they become embroiled in a situation beyond their control.  Criminal exploitation is not the only online problem in need of a remedy; cyberbullying that sees children abusing and victimising each other can be just as devastating in its effect as illustrated by the sad case of Hannah Smith who killed herself in August following abuse on question-and-answer site Ask.fm

Social media sites can, and must, do more but there is a desperate need for education.  That means better-informed parents and schools tackling the subject formally.  

We are delighted that the work we are doing with The Children and Families Media Education Trust has an important role to play in this.  Our work with parents and in schools will help to make a difference.  We have to teach children that the ‘stranger danger’ message is just as applicable online as it in the street.   They must be taught that, no matter what, there are adults who can help them and they must also learn that online bullying is as unacceptable and destructive as its offline counterpart.

If you, or anyone you know, has experience of online abuse then The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee would be interested in hearing from you as part of its inquiry into online safety.  The Committee is seeking evidence and opinions on preventing abusive or threatening comments on social media.  Your thoughts would be much valued and you can find out more here.

A victory for parents

In the past we have been vocal about the way in which television programmes aimed at family audiences have featured increasingly sexualised content.  Over the past few years we have seen a contestants stripping and lap dancing on Saturday evening talent shows and, on each occasion, the programme would be cleared by Ofcom of breaching the Broadcasting Code which is in place to protect children from unsuitable material.

Over the past year we have written expressing our concern to the programmes, the regulator and the Prime Minister’s special advisor on preventing the sexualisation of childhood.

We have pointed out that television programmes which are marketed at children yet contain explicit material are making a significant contribution to the culture in which children are becoming increasingly sexualised.  We am delighted to report that finally our concerns have been noted.

This week Ofcom at last rebuked ITV for showing nudity before the watershed in one of its flagship reality shows.  The regulator found that ITV had crossed a ‘clear line’ when it showed a burlesque dancer’s naked bottom before the watershed.  Ofcom said the scenes were seen by a ‘significant child audience’ and concluded the episode breached its code, which states: ‘Children must…be protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable’.

As our Director, Vivienne Pattison, told the Daily Mail this week, ‘it is a victory for parents who are concerned about what their children are being exposed to before the watershed. Finally we have a clear signal that it has got to stop.’

We are delighted that this judgement has now been made and we hope that, should further similar breaches occur, Ofcom will not hesitate to fine broadcasters.  This is not just about a bare bottom on television – however undesirable that may be in a programme aimed at children. 

This is about our society taking stock and saying, no, we want a public space which is free from overtly sexual images.   We don’t want our children to be forced to grow up prematurely.  Tiny incremental changes over the years have led us to the position in which we find ourselves today; images which were once considered to be soft-core porn are now called advertising and sexual freedoms which once looked empowering now seem oppressive.  It’s time to apply the brakes.

Ofcom’s decision follows the Government’s announcement of measures to protect children from pornography and the Co-op’s decision not to carry material with sexualised cover images.  There is still much to be done but we sense a sea-change in public attitudes and that can only be a good thing.

Good news in the battle to protect young people

Last month we were contacted by a member who had been on holiday in the heart of England and had spent a few nights in different youth hostels.  Disturbingly, he reported that pornography channels were available on the televisions in the bedrooms and public areas.

The Youth Hostel Association is a charity with a clear mission; to inspire all, especially young people, to broaden their horizons gaining knowledge and independence through new experiences of adventure and discovery.

Pornography is probably not the kind of knowledge and experience the YHA intends to provide its young guests.

We wrote to the Chief Executive of the YHA pointing out the growing body of evidence showing the profoundly harmful effect of porn consumption on the attitudes, behaviours and relationships of young people.   We asked her to take action to ensure that these potentially harmful channels are removed from public view.

We were delighted to receive a reply thanking us for bringing the matter to her attention and assuring us that new guidelines have now been put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

This is wonderful news and a good illustration that making our voice heard makes a positive difference.

In this case the easy availability of pornography was just an unfortunate oversight.  However it does demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of highly sexualised material in our society.  As it was so eloquently described in the Bailey Review, this is part of ‘the wallpaper’ of children’s lives today and what the long term consequence of this might be remains to be seen.  We cannot afford to sacrifice the next generation as guinea pigs in a great social experiment.  This is why your support remains so vital.

A great week for child protection

These are exciting times!

The fight for meaningful protection for children from online pornography is not yet over but this week has been a milestone in the journey towards our goal.

On Tuesday morning a meeting of MPs heard from Professor Gail Dines about the reality of the pornographic material available online, the practices of the porn industry and the effect it is having on those who consume it.

On Tuesday afternoon a symposium organised by the Sunday Times and the Policy Exchange considered the impact of pornography on children and the best way to protect them moving forward.

I was delighted to be present and to see that the event was packed with a disparate audience which included campaigners, academics, clinicians, journalists, therapists, technical experts and charity workers.  The overwhelming feeling in the room was that something must be done to protect children and it must be done now.

Tomorrow, Friday, I will be attending The Westminster Media forum - an event attended by politicians, media policy makers and academics.  Once again the subject under discussion is what the next steps to protect children online should be.

This event will be followed by a ‘Council of War’ on Monday 17^th.  The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, has summoned web giants - including Google, BT and Facebook – to a meeting where they will be expected to come up with plans to do more to stop access to harmful material on the internet.

Protecting children online is an issue which is not going to go away. 

At Tuesday’s event the delegates heard that:

• The most popular, and fastest growing, online search category is for ‘teen porn’.  This means images of girls who are, or who appear to be, under the age of 18; the kind of material which was recently implicated during the trials of the murderers of April Jones and Tia Sharpe.

• In a recent survey conducted by the Portman Clinic 25% of young men aged 18-24 reported that they were worried about the amount of internet porn that they were consuming and the effect it was having on them.

• Thousands of people in this country are regularly looking at pornographic images of child sexual abuse online.  More people than the police can realistically arrest.

We cannot ignore facts like these.  To paraphrase Diane Abbott speaking at the Sunday Times event: this a public health issue, a chance to stop the aggressive sexualisation of young people and to defend their human rights.

Thank you for your support on this issue which has been an important contributor to the climate which has enabled this to happen. 

We have some way to go but there are things that you can do now:

We are still waiting for a date for the 2^nd Reading of Baroness Howe’s Online Safety Bill which has been introduced to reduce children and young people’s access to inappropriate and potentially harmful online material.

If you have not yet done so, may I urge you contact a member of the House of Lords and ask them to support the Bill and push for an early 2^nd Reading.  You can do this quickly and easily using our campaign website Safeonline.org.uk.  The site also includes links to useful information on how to go about protecting your children and grandchildren online which I hope you will also find helpful.

Vivienne Pattison

Director

Family viewers are being failed

In the news over the last week has been the backlash against Jennifer Lopez’s extremely sexualised performance in the family show Britain’s Got Talent.  Her lewd routine resulted in 161 (so far) complaints to Ofcom and many column inches condemning the broadcast.  But haven’t we been here before?

In 2010 The X Factor final featured highly sexualised performances and provoked around 3,000 complaints to Ofcom.  The regulator ruled that the broadcast was ‘at the very margin of acceptability’ but did not censure the broadcaster.  This effectively re-defined family viewing and such material became mainstream.  

The 2011 Bailey review found almost half of parents were concerned about pre-watershed television.  The report concluded ‘the industry needs to act and, in the case of pre-watershed family viewing, take a slightly more cautious approach than is currently the case’ citing the sexualised dancing on the 2010 X Factor final as particularly problematic.

Shortly after the report was published Ofcom issued new guidance for broadcasters stating that ‘particular areas of concern include the sexualised clothing and dance routines of performers’.  However since this guidance was published we have seen a burlesque stripper on Britain’s Got Talent (justified because the dance ‘required skill and training’), a contestant on The X Factor straddling a judge dressed only in a bikini and fishnet bodystocking (justified because it was ‘presented in a style which sought to derive humour from the participant’s conduct’) and most recently a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent lap-dancing for Simon Cowell.

The reaction to the broadcast last weekend shows that many viewers are not happy with this.  The government has tasked Ofcom with the responsibility to ensure that children are ‘protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable for them’ (Broadcasting Code 1.3) but we are of the opinion that Ofcom are failing to act in the best interests of children.

We are delighted that last year the Prime Minister appointed Claire Perry MP as his special advisor on preventing the sexualisation and commercialisation of children.   It is good that this government is serious about protecting childhood and Mrs Perry has been doing some excellent work to ensure that children are adequately protected online.

It is our opinion that television programmes which are marketed at children yet contain explicit material are making a significant contribution to the culture in which children are becoming increasingly sexualised.  In our experience most parents want to take responsibility for protecting their children but it is increasingly difficult to do so when even pre watershed television is contributing to the problem. 

We’ve written to Claire Perry pointing this out and asking her to consider broadcasting within the scope of her remit.  We’ve offered to provide further information and material to help her in her work.