Transcript pornography
Early Sexualisation and the Impact of the Media Catherine Shaw – RESH Coordinator Welcome By the end of today you will: • Understand the impact the media and modern technology is having on the sexualisation of children and young people • Be equiped with an evidence base, resource ideas and access to further material to enable you to contribute to this agenda • Have discussed and listened to a range of opinions • Be refreshed, reignited and raring to go And we have to do this because… • We aren’t just protecting future victims we are preventing future perpetrators • Nationally and locally it is recognised that the media and modern technology is having an impact on children and young people – are they forced to grow up too quickly? • Bailey Report – Letting Children be Children Today we will look at • • • • • The media Advertising The music industry Pornography The internet As professionals we have a responsibility to safeguard the young people we work with, education and support on these issues is imperative Group Agreement We will: • Listen and cooperate • Have a go at it • Have fun • Ask questions • Think about how we put it in to practice • Not let our own values impact on what we are doing • WARNING – Some content is difficult to view / hear What does sexualisation mean… Sexualisation is… • “…the imposition of adult sexuality onto children and young people before they are capable of dealing with it, mentally, emotionally or physically” Home Office Report on Sexualisation 2010 Local Picture • HLS Findings 1073 primary responses 4475 secondary responses • 39% primary and 25% of secondary respondents find it difficult to say ‘no’ to their friends • Top social networks used in primary and secondary are: Local Picture • 36% (361) primary • 38% (1672) Secondary Local Picture • 69% of secondary pupils agree it is never ok to send a ‘sext’ • 802 (18%) secondary pupils reported being asked to send an inappropriate picture • 718 (16%) have sent an inappropriate picture of themselves (this does not mean 16% or the aforementioned 18%) • If 16% have – although the number of young people sending is concerning, we need to spread the social normative message – NOT EVERYONE IS DOING IT Local Picture • 25% (1120) of secondary pupils aged 11 – 16 HAVE accessed pornography • 18% (648) of these on purpose • 50% (2209) of secondary pupils admit they have seen something on line which had worried, scared or frightened them. • 44% (1983) of secondary pupils reported that the media impacts on the way they behave in relationships Consider sexualisation in the life of an 11 year old Group 1 – what are the thoughts and feelings? Group 2 – what knowledge and skills could help manage this What are we dealing with… Media Type Examples of sexual content How might this lead to sexualisation? TV •Sex in advertising on TV, claiming that sex sells anything and everything. •Sexual content in soap storylines •Normalising sexual behaviour •Message is given that sex is power (if it sells!) Internet •Access to pornography •Sexual advertising •Web cam use •Spam emails •Accessing pornography as a sex educator is providing a very distorted view of sex and relationships and can alter expectations. •Access to explicit material is often before a young person is ready for it and at this stage a young person is very impressionable Computer Games •Violent content, including rape scenes •Women characters sexualised and submissive •Gives viewer less empathy with the characters and this desensitises in real life and more accepting of violence Music/Music Videos •Lyrics very sexualised •Video’s with naked bodies and provocative dancing •Children copy and aspire to be like pop stars that includes moves and dancing Mobile Phones incl. Apps •Sexting •Bluetooth sexualised images •Access to pornography •Sexualised advertising •Access to explicit material is often before a young person is ready for it (most spam email isn’t asked for) •Use of sexual language before sexual maturity Social Networking •Advertising •Sexualised content of profiles •Messaging •Pressure to be sexually provocative on social profiles Printed Media •Glamour Models •Sexualised content in magazines popular with young people •Distorted and often altered images of what is beautiful Adapted from Fantasy v Reality pg40 What is this Advertising? What is this Advertising? If easily offended look away now What is this Advertising? Time for a Test…True or False • Are these real song lyrics…True or False What's your definition of dirty baby What do you consider pornography Don't you know I love it till it hurts me baby Don't you think it's time you had sex with me Say everybody have you seen my balls They are big and salty and brown If you ever need a quick pick me up Just stick my balls in your mouth I lie here in the wet patch in the middle of the bed I'm feeling pretty damn hard done by I spent ages giving head Time for a Test…True or False • Are these real song lyrics…True or False I took you to an intimate restaurant Then to a suggestive movie There's nothing left to talk about Unless it's horizontally Come here Rude boy, boy Can you get it up Come here Rude boy, boy Is you big enough Take it, take it On the couch, on the table, on the bar, on the floor. You can meet me in the bathroom, you know I'm trained to go Music Video or Pornography Pornography is........ • “Printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity intended to stimulate sexual excitement” (Oxford Dictionary Definition) • Defining pornography is subjective and influencing by age, values and beliefs. There there is a wide understanding to the term from ‘mildly erotic’ to ‘soft’ through to ‘hardcore’ and exploitative images of abuse involving children and animals* • Hardcore Pornography is defined as featuring sexual penetration and other sexually explicit acts (Wiktionary, 2010) • Child Pornography is a term often used to define sexualised images of children (under 18’s), however as professionals we should be using ‘abusive’, ‘obscene’ or ‘indecent’ images of children as this is a more appropriate term given the severity of the issue*. • The law in relation to the classification of pornography is complex and advice from Darlington Police should be sought to clarify individual cases. *Dean & Garling, 2011 The Law and Classification of porn Illegal Legal •Indecent •Pornography images of children (sexual images of under 18’s) •Owning ‘extreme’ pornography (Defined as threatening a person’s life resulting in serious injury). •Bestiality •Necrophilia www.justice.gov.uk showing explicit depictions of intercourse, oral sex, anal sex (as long as its not extreme and those involved are over 18) Classification of porn Class A Bestiality Paedophilia Coprophagia Water Sports S&M Class B Explicit depictions of intercourse, oral sex, anal sex – only sold in licensed sex shops Class C Top shelf soft core – male & female models pouting and showing breasts / genitals in submissive poses Let’s face facts… • The UK is the ‘pornography capital of Europe’ estimated worth £1bn per year • 25% of all internet searches are for porn. • The amateur porn industry is threatening the ‘professional’ porn industry. • 58% of children aged 14-17 in the UK have seen pornography online or via other media • 1/3 of young people claim they learnt about sex from pornography Let’s face facts… • 27% of boys aged 14-17 look at pornography every week • 53% of men in an EU study said pornography had “inspired” their sexual behaviour • There is little published research around the impact of exposure to extreme and violent pornography and expectations in sexual relationships, especially around entitlement, the sexual objectification of women and children, humiliating and violent sexual acts. Source: Sexualisation of Young People The negative impact… • Unrealistic expectations; • Self image / performance pressures • The lack of censorship and boundaries – easy access to hardcore material • Could be addictive • Ethical issues such as exploitation of women; • Doesn't represent relationships / love / intimacy • Sexual consent blurred • Lack of condom use Requirements as professionals… • Some young people are getting inaccurate information about expectations, reality and sexual behaviour from the media, advertising and actual pornography, which needs to be counter balanced. • It is essential to have an organisation policy in place to cover both responding to child protection/safeguarding issues involving incidence with young people where pornography might be involved. • It is good practice to include discussion of the impact of modern technology and pornography within sex and relationship education and PSHE. • It is important that questions and discussions regarding the media and pornography are dealt with appropriately, so that young people are supported to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence they need to make an informed decision and recognise that the media and pornography does not reflect reality. • Ideally professionals working with young people, should be able to access appropriate training to gain confidence, skills and knowledge to tackle issues around pornography. • Pornography itself must never be used to promote discussion with young people around the subject. Revenge Porn legislation Sex in Class Documentary Is it Rape?… Documentary Further resources and Ideas • Have strong PSHE with a whole School Approach, we have identified that the skills and knowledge to deal with these issues are transferable • Ensure you have needs based curriculum • Work on body image and advertising, use the DOVE resources, Sense of Self, PSHE Association guidance on teaching body image and: http://selfesteem.dove.co.uk/Articles/Video/Evolution_video_how_images_of_beauty_are_manipulated_by_ the_media.aspx Finally… • Questions and queries • What else do you need? • One thing I learnt or I will do after this session is…