Ian McCartney MP

A campaign to protect young people and children from sexually graphic material printed on the covers of magazines and newspapers took their message to parliament as MP’s, including Makerfield MP Ian McCartney, signed up to a parliamentary motion.

The campaign focuses specifically on sexually graphic material printed on front covers of magazines and newspapers, and displayed in full view of children in shops. The Front Page Campaign is a registered charity and was launched earlier this year.

The campaign aims to protect children and young people from harmful printed media by:

• working towards having printed media with sexually graphic covers sold in bags from the top shelves
• working towards having printed media age-rated appropriately in terms of sexually graphic photography, sexualised language and themes of sexual violence
• raising public awareness and providing information

Ian McCartney MP said, “Retailers, publishers, distributors and government have a collective responsibility to protect children and young people from adult material they are not emotionally equipped to deal with. They should also show respect for citizens in their marketing practices. It is not appropriate for sexually graphic material to be on display to children and young people. Nor is it appropriate for sexually graphic publications to be on sale to children and young people, especially when these include advertising for adult services.”

The full text of the EDM signed by Ian follows

EDM 2140 FRONT PAGE CAMPAIGN
 
That this House believes that politicians, retailers, publishers and distributors have a collective responsibility to protect children and young people from displays of sexually graphic material that they are not emotionally equipped to deal with; calls for an urgent review of existing guidelines drawn up between the Home Office and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents; further believes that such a review must consider the availability of sexually graphic publications to children and young people, the positioning of these publications on the shelves of retailers, the potential for concealing these publications in bags and consider the question of age-rating such publications; and further believes that failure to follow the revised guidelines could lead to calls for legislation covering all aspects of the availability and display of sexually graphic material to children and young people throughout the retail and publishing industries.