ACS

The Association of News retailing has responded to the Home Office commissioned report on the ‘Sexualisation of Young People’ calling for a better understanding of whether new age restrictions would actually make a practical difference and warning against imposing sweeping new restrictions that impose yet more administrative burdens on the industry.

John Lennon, Managing Director of ANR said: “Retailers take their responsibilities to the community seriously and working as a part of the publishing industry have in place a code of practice on the appropriate display of ‘Lads Mags’ which is widely adopted. We are not convinced that there is a need for regulation to go further.”

“New age restrictions would create yet another rule to add to the great weight of red tape already imposed on retailers. We believe that any action taken to impose new legislation must be based on a compelling case that the measure will actually make a measurable difference to an identified problem. At this stage it is not possible to reach that conclusion.”