Does anyone know what this is?
Let's take a moment to remember the Panorama programme 'Too Much Too Soon' last year, which was the first and only time I heard the above mentioned. It appears that the results from the Report and the Port have underperformed to the degree of minus Flop.
No-one knows about it...well, a few do, and these people have complained that it's such a complicated process to wade through the wordage, and it's so difficult to make a complaint about advertising that it's very offputting.
It's almost as if the government is not really that bothered about the loss to the faltering economy through the banning of immoral sales techniques...how cynical of me.
Please read below, the shorter the better after trying to wade through the Parent Port eh?!
I wore make up and short skirts as a teenager...not to school though, make up, jewellery and short skirts were not allowed and I think this is better for a learning environment, (ask me why if you think this is insane). My Dad was not happy but my Mother was supportive. However, times were more innocent.
Make up kits and dressing up are great for creativity. However, mimicking sexual behaviour watched on tv, playing violent/watching violent console games with adults who think this is ok may backfire on a child not old enough to have the judgement to separate reality from tv, music video or computer game. Also to realise the consequences of actions whilst role playing the games they've viewed in the school yard or elsewhere.
Many of the girls I went to school with embarked on more adult behaviour than they were mature enough to handle. I suffered from low self esteem and anorexia as a result of this. These things should not be whitewashed.
Anorexia and self harming in girls is on the up. The incidence of violence by young men towards young women is also on the increase, and possibly this is unreported as being mirrored, girls violence to boys. The spread of STD's over a broad age spectrum have been on the rise for years.
Recently, in a parliamentary discussion about the recent court case where Asian men living in the UK had used young girls for sex, it was claimed that the young girls had no innocence and were highly suggestible. The retort from an MP was that it is no wonder that some young women today that they act as they do whilst some having poor upbringings, are vulnerable, and being bombarded by so many sexualised images in the media.
Sex sells and the young are being targeted as 'fair' marketing game, due to the fact that they have the most available cash.
Things are much worse nowadays, music videos are disrespectful to women and the images young women are supposed to mimic are of shallow celebrities. The latest ipad. ipod or console game is more important than the African children who do not have clean water or any education (this is still very common)...
Last year I listened to a programme described Chinese factory workers who have committed suicide due to the pressures of producing huge numbers of Ipads.
Is this right?
Surely not; social awareness is very blurred at the moment as to what is and is not important in the social education of a child. I want my children to see a GCSE and an NVQ as a valuable goal. I will feel disappointed for them if what they get before these is an STD.
I've witnessed a family of a mother and 3 children who all had matching BRAND trainers but did not have an oven to cook food on, and had been lent money for a takeaway...the 6 year old daughter had a tin of sweetcorn for breakfast as there was nothing else.
I recently rejoined Facebook for business purposes, after a very short initial registration period years ago, as I have never been comfortable with social media. Many stories I hear about Facebook with regards young people, are e-bullying and the sexualisation of young people.
In addition to this is the habit of teenagers of 'clothing off' and publishing photos of themselves, ready for the interests of any male who cares to browse...irresponsible when you take into account possible future repercussions, whether it be in a professional or personal sphere.
It's with disgust that I removed 2 acquaintances as they'd displayed photos on their pages of half naked teenagers, one of these men has even older daughters, but the girls who posted these pictures may not stop to reflect until they are older. Maybe they will some regrets and want to bring their own children up differently.
Peer to peer links on porn websites and private browsing, available on most browsers are a dangerous combination to vulnerable children, who for some unimaginable reason are still not protected from peadophiles on the internet. As stated in the John Venables case last year, he was charged for downloading child porn, 'This is not a victimless crime'.
The danger of being called a prude is insignificant when the cost of the national youth destruction last year is taken into account. Is it all about the lack of jobs? Or is some of it about the intensity of commercial marketing and the almost complete lack of focus and support regarding positive moral teaching, about sharing with those less fortunate, focus on education instead of how you look for school, team and community spirit etc.
These things are supposed to be highlighted as a result of the nation's 'austerity' measures. Yet the sentiment is very faint - almost inaudible, except in the exceptional cases of this years' Jubilee celebrations and focus on the Olympics, which have been fantastic so far.
If we are to get back to basics, the government needs to be more serious about guiding the media and advertising moguls into more responsible behaviour. If not, the economy may gain but to what long term personal cost for today's youth?
