Reg Bailey was commissioned by the Government to lead a six-month independent review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. The resulting report, Letting Children be Children: A Report of an Independent Review of the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood, was published on June 6.
In response to the Bailey Review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, a spokesperson from the PPA said:
“The Department for Education's review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, led by Reg Bailey, Chief Executive of Christian charity Mothers' Union, is a wide-ranging report into the interaction between children and the commercial world.
Within its findings, the review mentions parental concerns regarding the display of 'lads' mags' within retail environments.
The existing best-practice guidelines for the display of men's lifestyle magazines, which have been drawn up by publishers in association with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and endorsed by the Home Office, are sensitive to these concerns and provide retailers with a series of measures to ensure these titles are placed away from the view of children.
According to the National Readership Survey, the average age of a reader of men?s lifestyle magazines is 30, and these titles are not created for, or marketed to children.
Publishers fully support the cross-industry display guidelines and the PPA welcomes the opportunity to promote them in the wake of the publication of the Bailey Review.
The PPA will evaluate the findings and evidence within the Bailey Review to inform its ongoing work with retailers and other stakeholders in the magazine supply chain on the appropriate display of men's lifestyle magazines.”
See also:
• The full report of the Bailey Review
• Letter from PPA CEO Barry McIlheney to Sarah Teather MP
• Prime Minister David Cameron's letter to Reg Bailey
• Government response: Written Ministerial Response from Sarah Teather MP
