ATL Calls For Action On Sexualised Youth Culture

With the pornographic images more widely available than ever before, pupils should be given lessons about the dangers of pornography, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) have said.

At its annual conference the ATL said it was vital that children do not become desensitised to graphic, sometimes aggressive, sexual imagery and that teaching staff need more guidance on how to tackle over-sexualised youth culture.

Addressing the conference in Liverpool, Helen Porter, a teacher from Newbury in Berkshire said: "It is crucial that youngsters develop an understanding of sex in the media and pornography, so that they can recognise the abnormal nature of these sexual expectations and appreciate the dangers of accepting the values portrayed by the sexualised media.

"Boys who become familiar with pornography develop certain expectations of girls' bodies. Girls feel under pressure to conform to these ideals."

(H)