Jon Bellamy spoke with Mal Fletcher

Mal Fletcher

Research from the NSPCC and the University of Bristol has found that 1 in 3 teenage girls suffer from some form of sexual abuse in their relationships with boyfriends. 1 in 6 has felt pressure to have intercourse, while 1 in 16 have been raped. Around 90% of 13 to 17 year olds of both sexes have been in intimate relationships, and girls who are in relationships with older boyfriends are more at risk of abuse, with three quarters of them reporting that they have been victims. Also new figures have revealed that 1 in 20 teenagers having abortions are doing so for at least the second time.

David Cameron has recently condemned the excessive commercialisation of childhood, including the prevalent "inappropriate sexualisation of children" and a Home Office Commissioned Report has concluded that children are being harmed by exposure to sexual and violent images in the media.

With such important discussions going on Jonathan Bellamy wanted to chat with respected social commentator, Mal Fletcher, to find out his thoughts on these important issues. Mal Fletcher is a social commentator, global speaker and author and chairman of the 2020Plus think tank on social affairs and leadership.

Jonathan: Mal, let's just jump right into this. Do you agree with David Cameron's comments that there is excessive commercialisation and inappropriate sexualisation of our children?

Mal: Yes I do. And it's interesting that it's not only Mr Cameron who's saying that. The Home Office itself put out a review last week saying pretty much the same thing - that children are being forced to grow up too quickly; that we are increasingly sexualising children at a younger and younger age.

Jonathan: Now, I mentioned at the beginning of this a lot of statistics - scary statistics really in terms of some of the affects on young children. Do you think that these comments from David Cameron and by other people are the reason behind those statistics?

Mal: Well it's certainly linked, and I think there are two major issues here Jon. First is the increasing sexualisation of our mainstream pop culture generally; mainly portrayed through the media. Let's face it - I mean sexual values, sexual behaviour, sexual lifestyles have all become a much more prominent part of our ongoing cultural conversation over the past decade. Remember this is the age where according to one study; children now spend twice as much time in front of TV and PC screens than they do in a classroom. So the media is having a big impact; and much of the imagery and storylines I think we see on television even before the 9pm watershed in this country, would, not that long ago, have been associated with pornography. So whether we like to admit it or not Jon, I think children are exposed to material they're not yet ready to handle.

Jonathan: A few weeks ago it was in the news that David Cameron had told his six year old daughter to stop listening to Lilly Allen because of the singers occasionally raunchy lyrics. How much can parents do to protect their children? And how much is down to regulation of the media and marketing?

Mal: Well there are two separate questions there really. I mean parents can't watch over their kids 24/7. My wife and I have three children; they're grown up now. It's impossible to watch your children twenty four hours a day; but we can work to have the kind of open honest relationship with our kids so if there are threats to their health, whether they're physical or psychological, we're the first to know and perhaps the first to respond. I think we can also do a lot just to build the walls of discipline as it were; the parameters, the boundaries. Not negative punitive discipline, but positive discipline that looks for the best in the future of the child. I've always said that if you raise a child without positive discipline, it's like building a formula one car and forgetting to install the brakes. Positive discipline sets parameters. It sets security for behaviour; it makes kids feel secure in the choices and challenges they will face in their teenage years.

Jonathan: What about the regulation side then; regulating of media and marketing firms? Obviously we're aware of the nine o'clock watershed but then you hear of slippage on that.

Mal: Yes, well I think the government, whatever government is in power after the next election, needs to do more to study its regulation of TV programming before that watershed. I don't believe that media companies can ever truly regulate themselves not in this market driven highly competitive digital age; despite the fact that there are some wonderful and well meaning people working within the media. I think that as an institution it won't regulate itself. I think the government could also do more to reinforce the family unit. I don't much like the word traditional family because it makes it sound anachronistic and irrelevant. But I think that when studies repeatedly show around the world that kids brought up by a mother and a father, in a loving harmonious relationship, are usually less likely to suffer developmental problems later on; then government should get a little bit more behind the family unit. I know it's an ideal and I know some people are raising children on their own and doing a wonderful job. I have friends of mine who are doing just that; but the government still could be doing more to support the ideal.

Jonathan: Both the Conservatives and Labour have recently released green papers on the family haven't they? Do you think the breakdown in family is making this problem worse?

Mal: Well it's certainly having an affect because children need male and female role models as much as possible. If it's a single parent family, I've often taught in seminars for parents, and always encouraged single parents to try to find members of the opposite sex, to whom they can bring their children as it were, for role modelling. Of course you have to be very selective in this age in which we live. But I think it is important that there is a well rounded sense of male and female sexuality with any child, because males and females think differently on things and we respond differently to situations. Children need to see how male and female work together and work through certain challenges and problems. But Jon there's also the issue of internet gaming, and that's another big thing. Parents do have a say there but government needs to do more to regulate in that area, without becoming a kind of internet police state.

Jonathan: Unpack that a little bit more about internet gaming.