Age restriction demanded for lads' mags

AGE restrictions should be introduced on "lads' mags" to crack down on the sexualisation of children, a study commissioned by the Home Office said today.

A 100-page report into violence against women and girls recommended the publications should be placed on top shelves and not sold to anyone aged under 15.

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, author of the study, said games consoles, computers and mobile phones should come with parental controls that can restrict access to adult and online content.

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Among 36 recommendations, she also urged the Government to stop adverts for the adult industry being placed in branches of Jobcentre Plus.

She said they can lead to the "normalisation" of the trades as a "viable career choice".

Dr Papadopoulos highlighted a "drip drip effect" where the "previously unthinkable becomes widely acceptable" in modern society.

"Children and young people today are not only exposed to increasing amounts of hyper-sexualised images, they are also sold the idea that they have to look 'sexy' and 'hot'," she said.

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"As such, they are facing pressures that children in the past simply did not have to face."

The report said magazines aimed at young men contribute to the problem.

"Lads mags contain a high degree of highly sexualised images of women that blur the lines between pornography and mainstream media," she said. "The predominant message for boys is to be sexually dominant and to objectify the female body."

Other recommendations included improving education on the issues and giving people a forum to report concerns about the sexualisation of children.

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