A Labour MP, Claire Curtis-Thomas, has put together a motion about Lads Mags, asking for a new body to be set up to ensure they are kept on the top shelves of newsagents. Of course it's only a 10-minute motion and these very rarely lead to any actual legislation. Still it at least draws attention to the situation.
The article on the BBC goes on to quote Piers Hernu who wrote for and edited vadious of these mags.
He says: "Parents and teachers are not up in arms about minors buying lads mags simply because they do not".
Yes they do. 25% of Lad Mags are sold to under 18s. I know parents who worry about their kids being exposed to them. And I know teachers who have had to ban children from bringing them in to school.
Then as usual he goes on to have a personal attack on the MP, calling her "embittered". She says "I'm not embittered. I'm a woman of 48 with three young children. I happen to think about their welfare first and I put the profits of... companies like yours second, and most of the people in this country share that sentiment."
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Read it in, I believe the Guardian about 9 months ago. Sadly never made it to the online edition. Based on who I see reading them on the streets, I'm amazed it is as little as 25%.
And hey - substantiate yourself huh? No email address, no homepage, no blog.
Does it come as any surprise to you that these magazines are not shouting from the rooftops about their sales to under 18s? No. In fact if the number was more modest they'd probably announce it.
So what do you believe the figure is? I can tell you one fact - it's not zero. I have seen specific counter-examples. And if it's not zero, then we have a problem.
Feel free to conduct your own statistically sound survey and send me the results. Also feel free to include your photo, name, background and contact details in future posts.
Teenage girls' mags like Sugar and more! follow guidelines (details at http://www.tmap.org.uk/ ) that apply to publications whose readership is over 25% girls under 16. For example, they have to highlight the emotional consequences of sex, and encourage a responsible attitude.
Currently no such controls apply to magazines read by teenage boys. But if certain lad mags do have a similarly young readership, it would be only fair to extend the guidelines to cover them. I don't see why only the girls should have to behave responsibly.
Post a Comment