Adult world must let girls be girls
Share
Rather than being empowered, children are being exploited by the process of sexualisation. For children seeking to become empowered in an adult world, a more promising route is to focus on developing cognitive and emotional capacities that enable them to negotiate power relations more maturely and with less risk to themselves. There is nothing wrong with selling products. But sexualising children to sell products has social costs that are unacceptable.
Related documents
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
Private health insurance is for the rich – the rest would rather better public health
ATO figures show that private health insurance is favoured by the rich and it should be subject to GST
Social media has destroyed my focus, concentration and free time. Can I opt into the ban?
The first thought I had when the Albanese government’s under 16s social media ban was announced was: “Can I opt in?”
Trump’s Big Bill makes America more dangerous while enriching a few
The legislation will turbocharge inequality and the climate catastrophe – and it’s all part of the administration’s plan to radically reshape American society.

