Letting Children be Children
RECOMMENDATION
3.
Ensuring the content of pre-watershed television programming better meets parents' expectations. There are concerns among parents about the content of certain programmes shown before the watershed. The watershed was introduced to protect children, and pre-watershed programming should therefore be developed and regulated with a greater weight towards the attitudes and views of parents, rather than 'viewers' as a whole. In addition, broadcasters should involve parents on an ongoing basis in testing the standards by which family viewing on linear television is assessed and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) should extend its existing research into the views of parents on the watershed. Broadcasters and Ofcom should report annually on how they have specifically engaged parents over the previous year, what they have learnt and what they are doing differently as a result. ACTION: Ofcom, broadcasters
Sexualised content of music videos and music performances
32.
Music videos were singled out by contributors to the Review for strong criticism, an issue that was also highlighted previously in the Papadopoulos report (Papadopoulos, 2010). Concerns focused on the sexual and violent nature of song lyrics; highly sexualised, verging on explicit, dance routines; and the stereotyped gender roles portrayed. Music videos were highlighted by some parents of boys who responded to our Call for Evidence: they expressed concern that these videos were influencing their sons’ behaviour towards and perceptions of women and girls in a negative way.
"Whenever I have seen music videos lately I have been completely disheartened by the relentless portrayal of women as sex objects. More often than not they show young women in hardly any clothes basically simulating sex. .. For a lot of acts that are popular with young people, the music video has become a way of pushing boundaries to see how much they can get away with."
"Pop videos can be particularly difficult when children like the music, but the accompanying video is far too sexual."
Parents, Call for Evidence response32
