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>More pre-teen girls, between the ages of eight and 12, are dressing and behaving beyond their years. They are sexually aware and may even be experimenting in sex with older boys or men. There is a label for them - 'tweens' - a mongrel hybrid probably cooked up by admen who peddle products like cosmetics, fashion and 'cute' electronic gadgets and want to catch their consumers young, so as to keep them longer. Pop culture is to blame too. Images of tall, attractive people of pan-Asian look are paraded on television and splashed in magazines, and increasingly on the Net. They seduce tweens into a sexualised way of life, said a psychologist. Another psychologist pointed out that recent research suggests that adult sexual development starts as early as when a child is nine or 10 and not at puberty, as previously thought. It is no wonder that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise among teenagers. There were patients at the Department of STI Control (DSC) who were as young as 14. Some of the youngsters were already sexually active at age 12.
Parental guidance is still the best defence against preteens going down that path. But these days, both parents are liable to be working long hours and have little time to spend with their young children. And it no longer is just the television they have to worry about, but the Net as well. Video games featuring scantily clad women can be downloaded. Sexy images of models are not going to go away, they are going to be more pervasive in the global consumer culture. They are in the malls, at subway stations and can be summoned up on the cellphone. Also, at 12, kids are not likely to listen to their parents. They will listen to their peers and ape their behaviour. Parents just have to make sure their children do not get into the wrong crowd. Right upbringing in the early years is the key.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 1, 2008.
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