This was my generation’s stance. Peace and love are out the window, and I’m now wondering about censorship. In October my daughter was taking her six-month-old daughter for the usual Asda shop only to be confronted at the main entrance by a nightmare, life-size figure dripping blood. Baby, of course, stared at it blandly, as babies do, and found it no more frightening than a can of beans. But my daughter was pitched forward into the future when baby would be more aware and more emotionally vulnerable — particularly as she saw slightly older children clearly distressed by the ghoul. She complained to Asda and they reacted promptly by moving the figure to the appropriate aisle, so that you only saw it if you were already prepared for Halloween gore and indeed seeking it.
But then she began to see things everywhere, as have I. Violent or overtly sexy posters advertising films, games, products. She’s even got hot under the collar about FCUK, which she virtually grew up with. Her argument is that we are told we can protect our children at home by monitoring what they see, but out and about there is no control. They can be subject to images that are either distressing, or that warrant explanations that neither they nor we are ready for. She’s calling for “U-certificate” streets. And I see her point.
LaptopMums 