Sexualisation of children
Download this submision (PDF) (203 Kb)
Submission of Professor Catharine Lumby, Director of the Journalism and Media Research Centre and Dr Kath Albury, ARC Postdoctoral Fellow, Journalism and Media Research Centre, UNSW to the The Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communication and the Arts
Inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment (April 23rd, 2008)
Background
On the 12 March 2008, the Senate referred the following matter to the Committee for inquiry and report by the 23 June 2008:
The sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment, including radio and television, children’s magazines, other print and advertising material and the Internet.
In undertaking the inquiry, the committee, in particular, has been asked to:
a. Examine the sources and beneficiaries of premature sexualisation of children in the media;
b. Review the evidence on the short- and long-term effects of viewing or buying sexualising and objectifying images and products and their influence on cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, sexuality, attitudes and beliefs; and
c. Examine strategies to prevent and/or reduce the sexualisation of children in the media and the effectiveness of different approaches in ameliorating its effects, including the role of school-based sexuality and reproductive health education and
change in media and advertising regulation such as the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice and the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice.
We welcome this opportunity to make this submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts. The Journalism and Media Research Centre is a research centre in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of
NSW. The JMRC houses a team of expert researchers working across the fields of journalism and media. One of our core areas of expertise is the social, cultural and health impacts of media representations and media consumption.
This submission will identify research and make recommendations relevant to all three areas identified in the terms of reference.
