The sexualisation of youth has had a startling effect on children and their lifestyles. The media has played a great deal in sexualizing youth as they openly portray scantily clad men and women for children to freely watch and this has led to many detrimental effects in children.
The media portrays men and women in a very sexual manner in films, music videos and TV shows. Since children are very impressionable watching such form of media can influence them.
Another form of influence for youth are toys; many nowadays are made in a sexually suggestive manner, for example a doll with a short skirt or an action figure with muscles, and this also influences children greatly.
Clothing is another area where children are being sexualized. High heels have now become common to be worn amongst girls and clothes made with adult slogans are marketed towards boys.
There are profound effects of sexualisation on children. One of the main effects incurred by it is that many children develop body image issues early on in their lives. Many studies suggest that early exposure to sexual ideals in the media leaves girls with body dissatisfaction and, from an early age, develop self esteem issues stemming from thinking they are not beautiful enough. It is estimated that 70-76% of girls in high school consistently choose an ideal figure they wish to have that is thinner than their own.
Another effect of sexualisation on children is the ever-decreasing age at which people are losing their virginity. In the UK, in 1950 the average age at which a person lost their virginity was 21, which went down to 17 in 1980 and now in 2015 it is 15.6. This has been correlated to the rising amount of sexual content children are subject to in the media by many studies. Anther socking statistic regarding the rise of sexual activity amongst youths is that 25% of girls report having had 3 or more sexual partners, while still of school age.
One of the main detrimental effects for boys is that boys who are not enthusiastic about sexual culture are branded as ‘’unmanly’’ and bullied for it leading to isolation and being ignored.
Sexualisation of children from a young age has had a detrimental effect on children, both physically and mentally. Many children develop body issues that affect their well-being and mental health. Some children are bullied and stigmatized for not participating in the sexual culture. There needs to be something done about this phenomenon as it is not natural for children so young to be exposed to such an extent of sexualisation.
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