Media: Experts sought to keep children safe on TV
Catherine Gaunt
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Children's charity the NSPCC has set up a new body of child experts to advise television producers how to look after the safety and well-being of babies and young children.
The move comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding reality programmes about parenting, including Channel 4's 'Bringing Up Baby' and BBC3's 'The Baby Borrowers', which starts its second series this week.
More than 750 complaints were received by media regulator Ofcom about 'Bringing Up Baby', but it was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The NSPCC is writing to professional nursing and medical associations this week, asking them to help set up an expert advisory group to priorities children's rights and developmental needs.
Dame Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC, said, 'We are increasingly worried that babies and young children are being put in unsuitable and potentially harmful experimental situations for entertainment purposes. "The Baby Borrowers", where babies appear to be left in the care of inexperienced teenage strangers for long periods of time, appears to take little account of a baby's need for consistent love, warmth and communication from their parents.'
She added, 'We urge programme makers in the future to act responsibly and use expert advice to ensure the children in their programmes are protected from harm.'
