The UK Independent has a story about teachers objecting to pre-teen girls reading magazines such as Cosmo Girl due to sexual content.
Ralph Surman, deputy headteacher of Cantrell primary school, Nottingham, said young children were being exposed to “a high level of continuous harm”.
Mr Surman said he did not blame parents, who took the magazines on trust, but added: “I think the publishers should get their act together.” He said that he had spoken to newsagents who said they would welcome a system under which the magazines would have stamped on the front cover the age group they were suitable for. Some newsagents had refused to sell the magazines to young girls. “A certification system would give some teeth to that structure and avoid confrontation over the counter,” he said.
Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education, said he had every sympathy with the teachers’ complaints. However, it was not within his remit to introduce a ratings system.
Representatives of the magazines said they were aimed at 14-year-olds and above. They could not be responsible for policing who bought them.
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