Anyone else bothered by magazine covers in supermarkets unsuitable for children

[Howgoesthework]

Hi all, just seeing if any other people are bothered by the front covers of magazines like Take A Break or Chat in supermarkets?

I've complained in my local Tesco's three times now about front pages with stories like 'My poor brother TORTURED TO DEATH in homemade horror film - His throat was slit for the camera TWICE' or 'We found poor Mum CHOPPED UP in the kitchen BIN' (and these aren't the worst headlines by any means). They have moved them up one level, and they are still completely visible to my 12yo, 9yo and 5yo. (Not such a problem for the youngest as he won't be reading it yet, but for the other two?!)

I really want to change this but I don't know what to do. I currently turn the magazines round or put them right at the top behind others, and I'm considering taking direct action with a marker pen if they don't sort this out.

Does anyone else have a problem with this, and if so, what do you do? The supermarket obviously makes enough money out of them not to care about the odd complaint, but I find it completely unacceptable.

Any thoughts?

Completely agree with you OP. These ‘magazines’ are eye level in our local Co-op when queueing. I complained to the manager who said there was nothing he could do so I e-mailed the head office. They said they had started using modesty packaging for magazines like Nuts, Loaded etc. but had no plans to do the same for Take a Break etc.

Really unpleasant headlines.

I agree, OP. But I actually just avoid that aisle or go shopping on my own as I don't think the store give a shite unfortunately.

No. The world does not revolve around children or people with children.

Why should we cover up real life just for the sensitive mothers/children?

Its really hard when they start reading. These are terrible tragedies being written about and sensationalised for readers' pleasure. Id pretend they were made up stories while they are very young. Newspaper headlines cause same issue so dont think it will be changed. Thanks for raising though as im going to try and avoid with my 6yo!!

Unfortunately I think you’re both right slashlover and missmouse101, they didn’t seem that fussed other than being polite and did say they were constrained by their plan. Modesty packaging would be the ideal solution Maresedotes. Often in my experience this kind of thing ends up making you feel like you’re going against a brick wall but I’m not worn down yet :)

Bimgy85 I don’t think it’s ‘real life’ or that I’m being over-sensitive. These are rare and horrific human interest stories being sensationalised for titillation. News that affects many people I don’t have the same problem with. But fair enough if that’s how you feel.
Yes Maxtry I think I will do the same, with the little ones at least, if they do read that kind of thing.

I think you’re completely out of order. The world doesn’t revolve around your children or anyone else’s children. A lot of older women ime, not always admittedly, buy those magazines because they want to read the stories and do the puzzles. You’ve got absolutely no right moving them to the top shelf, or putting them behind other magazines or or turning them around so that people can’t find them.

Agree completely with OP

Some of the headlines on these magazines are absolutely horrendous, talking about kids being raped, tortured, etc in what almost feels like a titillating way. I don't see why they can't just be moved somewhere that isn't eye level for children, it's not like anyone is saying don't sell them at all.

I'm a very liberal adult that isn't squeamish but seriously, raping babies and torture stories as headlines for all to see? It's just unnecessary. As has been already pointed out, it's not the ordinary dark parts of real life, this is really rare, depraved sensationalised stuff which I hope to god is at least partly exaggerated and little kids don't really need to know about it. I have spoken to my children about corrupt governments, world famine and disease, wars etc, but there's no need to fill them in on the kind of stuff described in these awful magazines.

I have never said anything to staff about them but have turned around one particularly graphic one as 10 year old was close by trying to look at the books. I think they should be located far away from the kids stuff and on higher up shelves as standard.

Bimgy85 TheFairyCaravan then why have parental guidance on music, why have music with the rude words taken out, why have a watershed- you can still buy the mag and read the stories but some of us don’t want to explain to a 7year old what rape is just yet!

Yes PhaLANge I think it’s on a par with pornography with regards to children being exposed to it and should be hidden in the top shelf. TheFairyCaravan, thanks for your point of view. I obviously don’t agree with you but appreciate hearing what you say and am not trying to ban it, just don’t want it to be there at kids’ eye level.

So why are we not banning newspapers OnlyFools? And we don’t have the watershed where the news is concerned so rape is talked about at all hours of the day and night on the TV.

Exactly onlyfoolsnmothers let's just do away with any level of censorship because the world doesn't revolve around kids

If it's not unreasonable for all the sexy mags to be on top shelves then it's not unreasonable for the overly graphic headlines to be up there too.

I think they must have changed actually, I moved away from the UK about 5 years ago and I find that quite shocking, I don't remember them being quite so violent and grim. Used to quite enjoy a bit of take a break nonsense, and it's possible my tastes have changed but I don't think I ever would have enjoyed reading about child rape and people being chopped up.

I wonder if they have changed so slowly people haven't noticed? They always used to be daft and a bit soap-like - love triangles involving a brother, singing dogs, freak accidents, that kind of thing.

False equivalence thefairycaravan normal newspapers and the news on TV don't go into graphic gushing detail about babies and children being raped and tortured, etc etc all over the front page. I don't believe anyone has called for a ban just that they are moved elsewhere.

I used to love buying these magazines every week, but haven;t for ages now.
I'm completely with you OP on this, they used to be good but now they just seem to be trying to outdo with each other with the most sensationalist headlines or stories.
I've thought for a while they're not really suitable headlines on the front for young children at eye level. (I mean, most 5 or 6 years olds can read for example and it's right at their height.

Bertie yes I agree I think they have slowly got worse, there are still a lot of the silly headlines but I have spotted some really awful ones recently that have been enough to make me think they need to be moved. I remember we used to buy them in work and laugh over the silly stories on lunch breaks about ten years ago now, I couldn't imagine wanting to do that now with the headlines I've seen lately.

False equivalence thefairycaravan normal newspapers and the news on TV don't go into graphic gushing detail about babies and children being raped and tortured, etc etc all over the front page. I don't believe anyone has called for a ban just that they are moved elsewhere

Exactly.

Instead of whinging to the supermarket why not to the victim mag producer itself?

If you need something to do OP, why not start at the source to keep you occupied. They all have Facebook groups. Fill your boots.

Bertie - they've definitely all changed for the worse over the past few years, they seem to be obsessed with child abuse and battered wives stories lately
Used to buy them every week but I don't now because as you say there used to be mainly light relief/silly features and articles in but now they're few and far between.

if you need something to do OP, why not start at the source to keep you occupied. They all have Facebook groups. Fill your boots.

That’s a good idea Gamer, but I think doing both the magazine producers and the shops that sell them could be the way. My local FB parents group is very influential, I might try there too.

I’ll do my bit if you write something OP.

Why do mumsnetters love creating more work for retail staff?? I'm sick of seeing threads about people rearranging shelves according to their own niche beliefs.

Op. Yabu. Get your magazines delivered by subscription if it's bothering you that much.

Moving them to a higher up shelf rather than small child height wouldn't be extra work, just putting them on a different shelf to start with.

No @rainbow op is altering the display meaning some poor bugger has to put it right after she's gone. I agree it would be an easy change for supermarkets to make if she could find enough other people bothered by it to complain.

No, because my DC don't read them.