After the Bailey Review, what next?

CARE warmly welcomes the publication of the Bailey Review which contains a series of very important policy recommendations for the purpose of protecting children from premature sexualisation (1).

In what follows, we outline some of the headline recommendations and then reflect on the key ‘what next?’ question.

1) Advertising
The Review calls on the industry to apply the social responsibility clause in the Committee on Advertising Practice Code (CAP) to advertising containing sexualised imagery in the same way it already does for advertising relating to alcohol. It also calls on the Advertising Standards Authority to have regard for the location of advertising and the numbers of children likely to be exposed to it when assessing compliance with the Committee on Advertising Practice Code. The ASA should ensure that its standards encompass location and that parents views on this are taken into account.

2) Newspapers and Magazines
The Review calls on retailers to have greater regard for the National Federation of Retail Newsagents Code of Practice and not to place highly sexualised images within the sight of children. It also calls on publishers to place the newspapers and magazines in question in modesty sleeves or behind modesty boards.

3) Internet
The Review calls on the industry to put parents in control through the provision of parental control software and robust age verification procedures so that children don’t stumble across completely inappropriate material.

4) Television
The Review calls on broadcasters to afford parents a much more significant role in defining what material it is appropriate to show before the 9 pm watershed.

5) Music Videos
The Review calls for a change of the law so that music videos - which often contain highly sexualised imagery - are rated under the Act.

Having outlined these key Review recommendations, the key question is what happens next? There have been four other reports dealing with the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood in recent years and yet nothing much seems to have changed (2).

The Bailey Review, however, is arguably rather different from preceding reports because it was commissioned directly by the Prime Minister and responds to a clear Coalition Agreement commitment to address the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood (3). The Review is consequently backed by a greater, more visible political will than any previous report.

Whilst the stronger political will associated with the Bailey Review is a reason for encouragement, some might point out that a lot of its recommendations are actually addressed to businesses and regulators rather than government. The political will, however, remains completely relevant because government is uniquely placed to ensure that the industry and regulators respond appropriately by formally requesting compliance, backed up with the promise that if they fail to act the law will be changed to require them to do so.

Today the Minister responsible, Sarah Teather, has actually provided the formal government response welcoming "Mr Bailey’s analysis and the thrust of his recommendations" (4).

Two specific commitments have been made. First, the Department of Culture Media and Sport will consult on amending the Video Recordings Act so that music videos fall within its regulatory scope. Second, the Government has called on those businesses that need to make changes to become compliant with the Review recommendations, to do so, with the warning that it will review the situation in 18 months time.

In making this commitment the Government has been very clear that it does not wish to introduce new legislation, much preferring voluntary compliance, but it has also made it clear that it will introduce new regulations if the necessary changes have not been made. The challenge for parents, and supporting charities, therefore, will be to remind the Government when the 18 months are up, December 2012, and to press them to introduce whatever legislative changes are then necessary.



(1) You can access the Bailey Review here: www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/CM%208078
(2) For more on the other four reviews mentioned above go here: www.education.gov.uk/b0074315/bailey-review/further-information(3) You can see the commitment to tackle the commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood in the Coalition Agreement under the heading 14 ‘Families and Children’ on pages 19 and 20
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/coalition_programme_for_government.pdf
(4) To read the Government’s Response to the Bailey Review: www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0077692/the-governments-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-commercialisation-and-sexualisation-of-childhood