“Pornification” of British Culture

Labour warns of serious damage caused

by the ‘pornification’ of our children’s lives

By James Chapman

Labour’s public health spokesman Diane Abbott says there is a culture of ‘sexting, slut-shaming and striptease’ in British schools

Children are being seriously damaged by the ‘pornification’ of British culture, a senior Labour figure will warn today.

Diane Abbott will say the notion that overt, public displays of sexuality are ‘enlightened liberation’ has created a ‘prison’ for a generation of young women.

After David Cameron’s new childhood guru Claire Perry warned on Sunday that parents must challenge children about their text and internet messages, Miss Abbott will agree that there is a pernicious culture of ‘sexting, slut-shaming and striptease’ in schools.

Labour’s public health spokesman will say that parents are ‘struggling to cope’ and need help to block inappropriate content on the internet and mobile phones.

‘We need to start a national conversation between parents and their children about sex, pornography and technology,’ Miss Abbott will add.

‘For so long, it’s been argued that overt, public displays of sexuality are an enlightened liberation.

But I believe that for many, the pressure of conforming to hypersexualisation and its pitfalls is a prison. And the permanence of social media and technology can be a life sentence.’

Her intervention, in a speech to the Fabian Women’s Network, suggests an emerging political consensus on the need for radical thinking on the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.

In yesterday’s Daily Mail Mrs Perry, appointed by the Prime Minister as his adviser on the issue last month, proposed better systems for parents and children to report inappropriate behaviour online, restrictions on access to sexually explicit music videos and ‘lads’ mags’, and better teaching of internet safety in schools.

Many young girls are being forced to conform to hypersexualisation (picture posed by model)

Most controversially, she insisted parents should challenge the culture of ‘children’s rights’ which suggests they should be able to communicate with friends and strangers online or by text in private.

Miss Abbott will today agree that parents must be put ‘back in control’. ‘I want to highlight what I believe is the rise of a secret garden, striptease culture in British schools and society, which has been put beyond the control of British families by fast-developing technology, and an increasingly pornified British culture,’ she will say.

‘There’s something wrong with a society as a whole when children say they have no one to turn to for advice because their parents – outwitted by technology, and struggling to juggle work and home life – don’t really know what’s going on.

‘There’s something wrong with a society when many young girls of all classes are pressurised into exposing themselves online, and are then humiliated.

‘There’s something wrong with a society that normalises children of every background “sexting” from their bedrooms.’

Miss Abbott will add that it must be ‘easier for parents to block adult and age-restricted material across all media’.

But Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, said there was no evidence to support what he branded Mrs Perry’s ‘Mary Whitehouse 2.0 campaign’.

David Cameron’s new childhood guru, MP Claire Perry wants parents to ask their children about their text messages

Source: Daily Mail, 22/01/2013