Child’s Eye Line UK Victory as Leading ISPs Block Porn by Default

Jan 29, 2015 by Child's Eye Line UK Editor

Child’s Eye Line UK is celebrating after Sky Broadband and TalkTalk announced they will be blocking porn by default unless an adult opts out.
The campaign has been lobbying the government to better protect children from harmful content online after research showed that nearly all 11 year olds in the UK had seen online porn.

Sky’s Broadband Shield is designed to filter out content deemed to be unsuitable for children aged under 13. It has been offered as default to new customers for a year. But now the firm has decided to also offer it to all its existing customers, some 5.3 million in total.

In her blog post, Lyssa McGowan, Sky’s brand director, explained why it was changing its policy. “What we’re doing now is simply making sure that the automatic position of Sky Broadband Shield is the safest one for all – that’s ‘on’, unless customers choose otherwise,” she said. TalkTalk have recently announced that they will be following suit by blocking porn by default.

Kathy McGuinness, founder of Child’s Eye Line UK, told BBC 5 Live: “We have campaigned hard on this issue for two years and we are so pleased that the leading ISPs, first Sky and now TalkTalk, are putting child welfare before profit. We welcomed the government’s comments last year that children’s exposure to porn is an urgent public health issue and we have supported Baroness Howe’s Bill in the Lords to make opt out porn filters mandatory. It’s great to see the ISPs taking the lead to protect children.

“This isn’t censorship, as some argue, as adults will be free to access pornographic and sexual content if they choose to. It simply means porn is a choice rather than a default ‘on’ that children are exposed to.”

89% of online porn commonly viewed by children involves violence against women and girls and nearly all 11 year olds are now estimated to have seen online porn (figures from Ofcom’s Children’s Media Literacy Tracker; a survey commissioned by the centre-left Institute for Public Policy Research think tank and EU Kids Online II).

The NSPCC says it saw a 65% increase in boys ringing its Child Line service last year because they have been traumatised by images they have seen online.  Other statistics from the NSPCC suggest children are influenced by porn that they have been exposed to: 75% of teenage girls experience emotional violence in their relationships while 25% of teenage girls experience physical violence. 1 in 4 children believe violence in a relationship is appropriate and 1 in 3 children have sent a sexual picture of themselves to a third party. The Lord Chief Justice recently cited online porn as a significant factor in cases of child on child rape, violence and sexual abuse.

Claire Lilley, policy advisor at the NSPCC, speaking about the rise in child on child sexual violence, commented:  “In some cases older children are attacking younger ones and in other cases it’s sexual violence within a teenage relationship. We know that easy access to sexual material is warping young people’s views of what is ‘normal’ or acceptable behaviour.”

About Child’s Eye Line UK:
Child’s Eye Line UK is a campaign run by volunteer parents fed up of their children being confronted with sexualized and degrading images in their local shops and supermarkets.

The campaign has cross-party support from MPs and leading teaching unions and children’s charities.

A recent government report by the Children’s Commissioner, “Basically, Porn is Everywhere” 2013, found that exposure to sexualized images is “damaging to children, negatively affecting their sexual development, relationships and self esteem and makes risky sexual behaviour more likely.” The images and content found in publications like The Sun, The Star, The Sport and lads’ mags were also linked with attitudes that underpin violence against women.

For interviews and more details about Child’s Eye Line UK, please contact:
info@childseyeline.org
www.childseyeline.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildEyes
Twitter: @ChildEyesUK

Related Posts

Tags

Share This

Paperchase Catches Up: Child’s Eye Line UK Victory as Profane Card Display Moved

Jan 26, 2015 by Child's Eye Line UK Editor

These days merchandise within card shops is as varied and brightly coloured as sweets in a candy store, but that’s where the comparison ends. Not all cards are child friendly, and the Child’s Eye Line UK Campaign has been advocating for stores, such as Paperchase, to show greater consideration for children when designing displays.

Following a Daily Mail article on an offensive card display in Scribbler’s stores, campaign supporters got in touch with Child’s Eye Line UK regarding a Paperchase display of profane cards at child’s eye level. Child’s Eye Line UK then tweeted Paperchase regarding the display to notify them of the problem.

Supporters highlighted the derogatory and sexualised text on cards with child-like imagery and pictures of children, arguing that the cards contribute to the sexualisation of children, especially as they are displayed alongside children’s birthday cards and other children’s merchandising.

A study by Coyne, et al., 2011 (Pediatrics Vol. 128, No.5, pp.867-872) shows that exposing adolescents to media with profane content is associated with a more positive view of profanity and an increased relational and physical aggression. The Children’s Commissioner (2013) also found that exposing children to sexualised content makes early risky sexual behaviour more likely and makes children more accepting of violent behaviour. Therefore, exposure of children to inappropriate, foul-mouthed and sexualised card displays is certainly worthy of concern. Furthermore, the criticised Paperchase cards use nostalgic motifs (e.g. chocolate birthday cake and a teddy bear) which could imply to children that profanities and sexualisation are a part of childhood.

Paperchase quickly tweeted a reply to Child’s Eye Line UK that the objectionable cards “should indeed be merchandised higher up, so we’ll get them moved”. In taking action to protect vulnerable children from indecent displays, Paperchase has now caught up with other responsible retailers. Numerous major retailers, including WH Smith, Tesco, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer’s, have already agreed not to display sexualised tabloid and magazine covers in children’s eye line following campaigning by Child’s Eye Line UK. As Norman Baker MP, Crime Prevention Minister, explained, “the problem lies with the retailers, not the publishers”.

While retailers have the right to stock whatever they wish and this is essential, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, Jackie Baillie MSP, explained that retailer’s freedom “should not impact on those shoppers including children who equally have the right to shop in a family friendly environment.” Therefore, Child’s Eye Line UK continues to campaign to ensure protection for children from all inappropriate content (including profane, sexualised and other content) which is vital to children’s welfare and providing families with fair choices.

Notes to Editors:

About Child’s Eye Line UK:
Child’s Eye Line UK is a campaign run by volunteer parents fed up of their children being confronted with sexualized and degrading images in their local shops and supermarkets.

The campaign has cross-party support from MPs and leading teaching unions and children’s charities.

A recent government report by the Children’s Commissioner, “Basically, Porn is Everywhere” 2013, found that exposure to sexualized images is “damaging to children, negatively affecting their sexual development, relationships and self esteem and makes risky sexual behaviour more likely.” The images and content found in publications like The Sun, The Star, The Sport and lads’ mags were also linked with attitudes that underpin violence against women.

For interviews and more details about Child’s Eye Line UK, please contact:
info@childseyeline.org
www.childseyeline.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildEyes
Twitter: @ChildEyesUK

Related Posts

Tags

Share This

WH Smith makes displays ‘family-friendly’ in victory for Child’s Eye Line UK campaign

Jan 12, 2015 by Child's Eye Line UK Editor

WH Smith has agreed to make its stores more family-friendly and display women’s weeklies that regularly feature sensationalised headlines about rape and child abuse out of sight of children following the Child’s Eye Line UK campaign.

The campaign recently persuaded Tesco, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer not to display sexualised tabloid front pages in children’s eye line.

Magazines like That’s Life, Chat and Pick Me Up had headlines like “Dad RAPED me at my 10^th birthday party” on their Christmas editions which prompted many parents to say enough is enough.

WH Smith’s Stores Director told Child’s Eye Line UK:
“We empathise with how these headings could cause upset and want to reassure you we are addressing the issue. We have issued instructions to all stores to review the location of these titles and if it they are in a sensitive position to remove from sale and return. I have also passed on your feedback to the buying director for magazines and he in turn will be contacting the publishers about the suitability of this type of headline on the magazines and pointing out if they continue to do so, we will have to reconsider our position on whether we continue to stock them in our stores. We have also instructed our Central Operations team to action a periodical reminder to stores regarding the display of these titles. Once again, thank you for taking the time to feedback on this issue and I hope you can see from our actions, we have treated this most seriously. ”

Child’s Eye Line UK founder Kathy McGuinness said:
“We are delighted with WH Smith’s decision to become more family-friendly and display these magazines out of sight of children. We have been appealing to retailers to put children’s welfare before profit. Headlines featuring rape and child sexual assault are upsetting for children and triggering for victims of child sexual abuse. We are delighted that WH Smith is following the lead of other big retailers like Tesco, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer by displaying products with sexualised front pages responsibly.”

The move comes after Tesco, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer all agreed not to display sexualised tabloid front covers at child height in their stores from November last year following the Child’s Eye Line UK campaign.

The government’s Bailey Review called ‘letting children be children’ issued guidelines for retailers in 2012 that state that these magazines should not be displayed in children’s eye line. The Children’s Commissioner’s report in 2013 found that exposure to sexualised imagery is damaging to children’s self esteem and relationships and makes risky sexual behaviour more likely.

Rape Crisis England and Wales commented: “We completely agree with the campaign. Magazines like That’s Life, Chat and Love it (which feature rape and child abuse headlines on their front covers) are triggering, offensive, trivialising and ignorant of the lifelong impacts for survivors of child sexual abuse.”

When Child’s Eye Line UK met with the Minister for Crime Prevention, Norman Baker MP, in July 2014 this year he confirmed that supermarkets who display magazines and newspapers with sexualized front covers at child height are “not observing current legislation in relation to the Indecent Displays Act 1981.” Child’s Eye Line UK is campaigning for legislation to be better enforced to regulate the display of sexualised images around children.

“Child’s Eye Line UK’s concerns about publications with inappropriate or indecent images or text are fully understood and I believe the problem lies with the retailers, not the publishers,” said Norman Baker MP in a letter to Child’s Eye Line UK following the meeting at the Home Office. “I am grateful to the work of Child’s Eye Line UK and I am particularly struck by the difficulties and resistance parents have been experiencing when seeking the cooperation of supermarkets who are often not observing current legislation.”

Norman Baker MP wrote to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, in his role as Minister on Child’s Eye Line’s behalf and received a “positive reply.” David Cameron referred Norman Baker MP to the Bailey Review into the sexualisation of children, “Letting Children Be Children” (commissioned in 2012), which made a series of recommendations that shops and supermarkets should ‘ensure that magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers are not in easy sight of children.

Norman Baker MP said that it is “vital that a robust approach to promoting the self-regulation is in place and that the Indecent Displays Act is able to provide for sufficient protection on matters raised by Child’s Eye Line UK.”

Child’s Eye Line UK has recently received cross-party support at the Scottish Parliament and will have amendments to the forthcoming Licensing Bill tabled by the Shadow Minister for Equalities, Jackie Baillie MSP. Jackie Baillie MSP commented:

“I am pleased that retailers have listened to concerns from all shoppers about displaying materials appropriately in their stores in line with the Indecent Displays Act, 1981. The press rightly has the freedom to publish what they wish, thankfully some responsible retailers understand that this freedom should not impact on those shoppers including children who equally have the right to shop in a family friendly environment.”

Notes to Editors:

About Child’s Eye Line UK:
Child’s Eye Line UK is a campaign run by volunteer parents fed up of their children being confronted with sexualized and degrading images in their local shops and supermarkets.

The campaign has cross-party support from MPs and leading teaching unions and children’s charities.

A recent government report by the Children’s Commissioner, “Basically, Porn is Everywhere” 2013, found that exposure to sexualized images is “damaging to children, negatively affecting their sexual development, relationships and self esteem and makes risky sexual behaviour more likely.” The images and content found in publications like The Sun, The Star, The Sport and lads’ mags were also linked with attitudes that underpin violence against women.

For interviews and more details about Child’s Eye Line UK, please contact:
info@childseyeline.org
www.childseyeline.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildEyes
Twitter: @ChildEyesUK

Related Posts

Tags

Share This