Media Promotes Pedophilia

Portraying of young girls as sex objects (sexualization) in media harms their physical and mental health -US experts warn.

This way to portrait teen girls is getting more and more popular in media. Does it mean that we live in a pedophilic society? The question still has no answer as experts are concerned with another matter related to sexualization of girls.

Sexualization is very likely to lead to girl's dissatisfaction with their bodies. This might result in depressions and eating disoders like anorexia.

As well such images can affect healthy sexual development in young girls, the experts said.

These conclusions were made after a research on the content and effects of TV, music videos, films, Internet and other media resourses. The research also involved recent advertising campaigns of products designed for girls.

Examples of sexualization

Young pop stars dressed as sexually attractive objects

Dolls wearing sexual clothing

Erotic clothing like thongs for 10-year-olds

Adult models dressed as girls.

Christina Aguilera dressed as a schoolgirl wearing an unbuttoned shirt and licking a lollipop in a trainer advert or early videos of Britney Spears are just a few to name.

The results of the research show that such promotion of girls as sex objects harms them in many ways, including physical and menthal health, sexual development and cognitive functioning.

According to Dr Eileen Zubriggen, chair of the research group and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, all these sexualized images should be replaced with ones showing girls in positive settings.

Andrew Hill, professor of medical psychology at the University of Leeds says that any of the report's conclusions could hardly be disputed. He added that use of girls as sex objects was very difficult to deal with.

Andrew Hill is convinced that the only way out is social resposibility. He says that advertizers must be aware that products they produce and images associated with them often have negative impact.

As well expert advised that schools should teach students media literacy skills and that sex education programs should include information on negative effects of images portraying girls as sex objects.