Sex and Children: A volatile mix In October, the Institute released a report by Emma Rush on the increasing sexualisation of children in Australia. Over the last decade, there has been and instead adopt highly sexualised an increase in direct sexualisation of games such as modelling, makeovers children, where children are presented and imitating pop stars, this could in advertisements and magazines in have profound implications for their ways modelled on sexy adults. long-term cognitive and physical development. The Institute highlighted this new phenomenon, and the range of risks Equally, middle childhood (ages 8-12) involved for children, in a discussion is a key period in which children paper entitled Corporate develop an understanding about their Paedophilia, which received place in the world outside the extensive media coverage when it was immediate family. No. 49 December 2006 released in October. Sex and Children: A volatile mix Celebrity culture, heavily marketed to girls of primary school age in Emma Rush magazines such as Disney Girl, Total Playing politics with national Girl, and Barbie Magazine, sends a security clear message to young girls that what Andrew Wilkie really matters in the wider world is not Religion and global warming what they think, not what they care about, not what they can do, but what Kate Mannix they look like. Howard’s morality play Andrew Macintosh Eating disorders Howard’s politics of the past This message is already taking effect. Clive Hamilton One South Australian study showed The changing climate of that among seven-year-old girls of a business Reproduced by kind permission of Lindsay normal healthy weight, half want to Molly Harriss Olson Foyle/Newspix be thinner. Dramatic changes to Land Rights law The greatest risk to children from At the same time, experts in adolescent premature sexualisation is probably medicine report that hospitalisations Sean Brennan the least obvious. Child development for eating disorders are occurring at Happiness: New Australian experts speak in one voice about the younger ages – an ironic twist on Survey importance of play activities in laying childhood obesity concerns. Clive Hamilton the foundations for children’s later Unwanted Christmas Presents development. Of course, not all children will develop eating disorders. But bringing Emma Rush When today’s adults were children, adolescent angst about looks and they participated in a broad range of weight forward to such a young age Institute notes play activities – informal sports, is deeply unfair. reading, problem-solving games, open- ended creative play and constructive How do advertisers, marketers and activities. broadcasters expect children as young as seven to cope with relentless If children now discard these sorts of messages that looking sexy is the way pastimes as ‘uncool’ at an early age to feel good about yourself? THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE What is most confronting is the fact Nor do politicians seem to accept that of exposure to a single case of that when advertisers and marketers that the ubiquitous hypersexualised sexualising material of the type present children in clothing, make- advertising and popular culture discussed here. Rather, harm is caused up, and poses that are more directed at adults has a significant by cumulative exposure to sexualising commonly seen on sexy adult impact on children, who are not its material from a range of sources. models, this sends a message that it target audience. is acceptable for adults to see children as ‘sexy’. Rather than being able to introduce Harm is caused by sex and sexuality to children at an cumulative exposure to During The 7.30 Report coverage of age where they can be expected to sexualising material. the Institute’s paper, Bill Glaser, begin to understand it, parents are forensic psychiatrist at the University now left trying to manage extremely of Melbourne, confirmed that the young children’s misinterpretations Belatedly, some regulators have shown sexualisation of children is seen by of what they’ve seen. some first signs of concern about the paedophiles as legitimating their sexualisation of children. For example, desire. In one opinion piece, Liz Conor wrote following the Institute’s report, The that ‘when my [three-year-old] Australian reported that the industry- He noted that convicted paedophiles daughter test-drove a full-romance, run Advertising Standards Board had say ‘here is all this advertising Disney-derived pash down my throat, banned two television commercials ‘that around the place and surely it cannot I recoiled in horror before I could link sexualised images and children’. An be wrong, seeing it is on public gather my mother-wits’. unnamed source said the Board was display’. He added: ‘Some offenders keen to combat criticism that it was ‘soft’ would even use these images almost Regulatory vacuum on the sexualisation of children. as a recipe for offending in terms of getting the children or their victims In short, children face We will wait to see if these moves are to pose in particular ways’. developmental, physical and sexual themselves a PR exercise or represent a risks as a result of premature real shift in attitudes. sexualisation, and in anything like a Despite the out- normal family life, even the best- In any case, such ad hoc responses pouring of public intentioned parent can no longer cannot address the fundamental concern ... politicians protect their children against such limitations of the case-by-case ignored the issue. premature sexualisation. Hence, approach. Fortunately, an opportunity politicians need to act in support of to revise the current regulatory the family values they are usually so environment for media in Australia is Despite the outpouring of public quick to talk about. likely to arise as the traditional concern (described by Phillip Adams distinctions between media (print, radio, as ‘headlines hammered and talkback television) become increasingly blurred hummed’), politicians ignored the Politicians need to act by newer technologies. issue. Where they acknowledged it in support of the at all, it was only to argue that family values they are Current media trends suggest that over ‘parents can just say no’ to sexualised usually so quick to time it will become necessary to cease advertising by avoiding the stores talk about. regulating separately for different types that use it. of media and instead establish an all- encompassing office of media In contrast, parent after parent The Institute identified the three most regulation. This is advocated in the expressed their concern to the important sources of the sexualisation Institute’s follow-up paper. Institute that while they do try to of children to be advertising (print, control what goes on at home, they outdoor and television), girls’ There would be plenty of scope within can’t stop their young children being magazines, and free-to-air television such an office to include a section with exposed to endless sexy outdoor programs (including music video- the primary responsibility of protecting advertising, and they have only clips). Existing regulation in these children’s interests. This task would limited control over what children see areas is patchy and inadequate to include stopping the direct in the playground or at friends’ address the issue of the sexualisation sexualisation of children and limiting houses. of children. Children’s magazines are the indirect sexualisation of children in not regulated at all. all types of media. Politicians don’t seem to recognise the rate at which advertising has The regulation that does occur is There are international precedents for ratcheted up targeting of children. based on a case-by-case approach. giving priority to children’s interests by Parents have to say no constantly But the risks children face as a result stronger media regulation and all the and they tell us that the endless of premature sexualisation slip indications are that there would be defensive parenting is tiring and through this regulatory system. broad community support for bipartisan demoralising. Children rarely suffer harm as a result action. n 2 THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE Playing politics with national security Andrew Wilkie introduces the issues covered in his recent discussion paper for The Australia Institute, All Quiet in the Ranks: An exploration of dissent in Australia’s security agencies. Australia’s security agencies – assessment detailing the dangerous principally the Australian Defence situation in Afghanistan because it Forces, Australian Federal Police, contradicted the Government’s policy intelligence services and relevant to return refugees to that country. policy departments – have become increasingly politicised under the In 2003 the Department of the Prime Howard Government. Minister and Cabinet, amongst others, apparently failed to challenge Direct political interference and self- the Government over its flawed case censorship have shaped the agencies for the Iraq invasion. and skewed their outcomes to the point where they now cannot be relied The inquiry into Rau’s detention in upon to consistently put the public 2005 found widespread cultural interest ahead of the Government’s defects in the Department of political interests. Immigration and Multicultural and Nicholson of “The Australian” newspaper. Indigenous Affairs. Political interference goes well www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au beyond the appointment of former to outspoken officials under certain As a result of the politicisation and Prime Ministerial staffers such as circumstances. political misuse of the agencies under Peter Varghese and Paul O’Sullivan the Coalition Government, Australia’s to key positions in the Office of Alarmingly, there is no specific security has been undermined. National Assessments (ONA) and the Commonwealth whistle-blower Australian Security Intelligence legislation. An example of the way security Organisation respectively. objectives are being compromised is The problem of the politicisation of the ADF commitment in Iraq, which is the security agencies is compounded putting soldiers at risk and preventing As a result of the by the lack of a robust oversight additional capabilities from being politicisation of the regime.