Foreword by Reg Bailey
So what would be a good outcome from this Review?
Firstly, that parents feel that I have listened to their concerns and that they will be taken seriously. Parents recognise that they should be the ones to set the standards that their children live by, but in some things they need more support. In particular, parents need businesses and others to work with them and not against them.
However, parents also need to accept the challenge to them and recognise that for children to be children, parents need to be parents.
Secondly, whilst many businesses and broadcasters are doing a good job in working with parents and only selling things for and to children that are appropriate for them, there are those who are not. I hope that they would recognise that they need to step up and be as good as the best, and they need to be more proactive in encouraging feedback and complaints. When it comes to inappropriate advertising and marketing, I want all businesses to play fair when selling to children and not take advantage of gaps in the regulation, especially regarding new media. It seems to me that there is enough goodwill for this to happen without legislation.
Thirdly, I hope that our regulators will work consistently to connect with parents, and recognise that parents should have a much larger say in what is appropriate or desirable for their children to see and hear.
In this Review, I make a series of recommendations; they take a largely consensual approach to the issues raised. To me, it is obvious that this is the best course. Nevertheless, I recognise it is also the most difficult.
And consensus comes most easily when a mature and constructive debate takes place to achieve a holistic approach to the issues raised by the Review; it is not enhanced by the prurient approach that has sometimes characterised the wide media coverage of these issues. By contrast, I have appreciated the maturity of the arguments put forward by the contributors to the Review. I believe my faith in those contributors to deliver on the recommendations will not be misplaced.
It may be that there will be those who argue that greater regulation and legislation is needed to deal with the issues raised. In my view, that would further disempower parents from taking the responsibility for their children upon themselves.
Finally, whilst it seems that the recommendations place responsibility for our children and young people on parents, businesses, broadcasters, other media, regulators and government; I believe it does not absolve any of us as responsible adults from creating the right sort of environment that allows our nation’s children to be children. That way we all create and own a better society.
3
