LETTER:Honesty and teen mags

From Mrs Teresa Pearce

Sir: As the mother of two daughters aged 16 and 22, I have been interested in the debate caused by Peter Luff's proposed bill to clamp down on sexually explicit teenage magazines ("Bill targets teenage magazines", 6 February).

Although I share the concern of many parents, I wonder if we are being entirely honest with ourselves. Is it really that we wish to safeguard our children's innocence, or is it that the thought of our children being sexually aware fills us with cringing embarrassment? How many of us (myself included), who find it difficult to deal with our daughters reading such material, would be just as upset by thought of our mothers reading the same magazines?

Yours faithfully,

Teresa Pearce

Erith,

Kent

6 February