- Magazines are being confiscated by teachers who say that
an obsession with sex and body image is robbing children of their childhood.
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- Girls as young as nine are regular readers of the glossy
publications and take them on school trips for bedtime reading, teachers
say.
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- They accuse the publishers of best-selling titles such
as Sugar, Cosmogirl and Bliss of "cynically targeting primary school
children" with free gifts and language more suited to their ages than
the older teen market they claim is their target readership.
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- Sex education is being used as a "figleaf"
for salacious articles about getting and keeping boyfriends and problem
pages full of advice about orgasms, oral sex and the size of sex organs,
say the teachers.
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- The concern about the contents of teen magazines was
raised at the annual conference of the third biggest teachers' union yesterday
when delegates voted to campaign for the age classification used for films
and video games to be extended to magazines. Charles Clarke, the Education
Secretary, said he had "a lot of sympathy" for their demand for
restrictions but the matter fell outside his jurisdiction.
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- Two executive members of the Association of Teachers
and Lecturers led the call, saying the magazines were widely read in primary
schools.
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- "They glamorise promiscuity in a way that damages
the emotional development of children at their most vulnerable and precious
age," said Ralph Surman, the deputy head teacher of Cantrell Primary
school in Bulwell, Notts, and the father of three daughters.
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- "These magazines are read by children as young as
nine, 10 and 11 and are targeted at them if you look at the free gifts
that come with them, such as pink lip gloss, plastic alarm clocks and CDs
with artists who have a young following," he said.
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- Girls regularly brought them on school trips to read
during the quiet time before bedtime. "I confiscate them and send
them back to their parents in brown envelopes with stick-its asking whether
they are aware of the contents," he said.
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- In particular, he objected to a competition being run
by Sugar to find a young model. "In the March issue one of these glamorous
models photographed was aged 12 and another 13. Readers are encouraged
to vote for them by telephone. Is it appropriate that they are sexualising
a 12-year-old in this way?
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- "We are exposing these children to a high level
of continuous harm by the very inappropriate content chosen to boost sales."
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- The content was unsuitable for children below the age
of at least 14, said Mr Surman, holding up a selection of current issues.
"Here are articles asking 'when will you score in 2004?' and '10 tricks
he'll use to get you to have sex without a condom'. But the worst material
is found on the so-called problem pages, which I would not want to read
out in public."
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- He said newsagents had told him that they tried to discourage
children from buying the magazines but had difficulty because there were
no age restrictions.
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- Mr Surman was backed by Lesley Ward, who teaches 10-year-olds
at Intake Primary in Sheffield. "Someone has to make a stand and say
every young girl should not be encouraged to be a Lolita.
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- "Of course we teach children about sex but in a
responsible way and in a context appropriate for their age. These magazines
are confusing for children and robbing them of their childhood."
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- The content of Sugar - which has a circulation of 291,794
- was defended by Lysanne Currie, its editorial director, who said there
was nothing wrong with featuring a 12-year-old as a model because the magazine
was aimed at 12- to 18-year-olds. Articles were aimed at the interests
of the readership.
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- "We get 1,000 letters a week of which about 500
are about sex," she said."The messages we put across are that
it is illegal to have sex under 16, don't have sex until you are in a lasting
relationship and always have safe sex."
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- Both Bliss and Sugar said they were already subject to
regulation by the Teenage Magazine Arbitration Panel. The industry's self-regulatory
panel, set up in 1996, is aimed at ensuring the sexual content of teenage
magazines is presented in a "responsible and appropriate manner".
Its guidelines have been approved by the Home Office.
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