Banning sexual images in marketing to children 'fraught with difficulties'

The study also said that "relatively few" goods of this nature were aimed at children in stores.

Holyrood's equal opportunities committee commissioned independent research after hearing in evidence sessions that items such as high-heeled slip-on shoes were available for babies and underwear items for girls had sexual slogans printed on them.

Attention was also drawn to Bratz dolls, which were condemned by the NSPCC as increasing the sexualisation of children.

The report, which has not yet been passed by the committee, said: "The attempt to control the production and distribution of sexualised goods, or at least control children's access to them, is likely to be fraught with difficulties, not least in terms of how we define what is to be regulated in the first place."

While it did not discourage any attempt to impose controls, it said it could be costly and have "counterproductive consequences".

Many of the stores surveyed for the report, such as Tesco, Littlewoods, Debenhams, D2 Jeans and Marks & Spencer did not sell any goods with sexual imagery aimed at children.

"This is not to suggest that imagery in consumer culture is not widespread or that children do not consume products surrounded by such imagery. What it does indicate is that relatively few sexualised products are specifically aimed at children."

Both parents and children are wary of the prospect of any moves to put controls in place, according to the report. Young people "strongly rejected" the need for regulation, and parents recognised the "considerable complexity" of the issues involved.

However, Sandra White MSP, who had sat on the committee, did not accept the report's assertions. She said: "This sounds like a cop-out, and I would hope the committee would reject this part of the report. I don't see how it would be difficult to control. We've just banned cigarette machines and advertising, so why can't we look at legislating (to protect] young people from sexual imagery?"

Ed Mayo, co-author of Consumer Kids, a critical study of children's marketing, who gave evidence to the committee, agreed with Ms White: "It's a wonderful piece of academic research, but what it doesn't do is come off the fence. We know children are exposed to sexual material more than before, but what it's difficult to work out through this study is where the responsibility lies.

"There's no one group that is responsible for pushing too much too young to children. Everybody is. It's a good overview, but it leaves a question mark as to what schools can do, what parents can do and what the Scottish Government can do to act on this."

Convener Margaret Mitchell said the committee welcomed the report as an important contribution to a complex debate. .

The study was led by Professor David Buckingham, from the Institute of Education at London University.

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