The Sexualisation of Children

Research links sexualisation with some of the most pressing and common mental health problems for girls including eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression and poor sexual health. 1

Throughout the mainstream media we subject children to many sexualised messages. These messages are in the form of television, internet, games, movies, music and magazines. Sexual connotations and innuendos aimed at adults are common even throughout children's programs.
Marketers use 'Aspirational Advertising'. They exploit a child's natural tendency to idolise and mimic adults and older children.

Adolescent sexual activity and beliefs about sex are linked to sexualised media content as researched by Lichter, S.R (2000) Sexual Imagery in popular culture, Sutton, M.J. (2002) Sexual Teens, Sexual Media, Collins, R.L. (2004) Pediatrics Journal 114 and Martino, S.C. (2006) Pediatrics Journal 118.
Research shows more than half of teens report getting most of their information about sex from television. It has also been found that teens exposed to more sexual content on television, or in sexual explicit music and music videos are; more likely to engage in sex sooner, have more sexual partners and to be diagnosed with an STD. Boys exposed to violent sex on television have been found less likely to be sympathetic to female victims of sexual violence.

Early exposure to sexual themes and messages desensitised children to sex.

1 American Psychological Association (2007) Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls. www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualisation.html

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