REALITY TV must be regulated to ensure that children's rights are not violated by having their privacy invaded, according to a United Nations report.
The publication, from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, also recommends raising the age of criminal responsibility – currently eight in Scotland and ten in England.
Anti-social behaviour orders should be reviewed with a view to "aboli
shing their application to children", as potentially violating the right to freedom of movement.
The committee said it was "concerned at the general climate of intolerance and negative public attitudes towards children, especially adolescents" in the UK.
Kathleen Marshall, Scotland's Children's Commissioner, said the country had a better approach to juvenile justice than the rest of the UK, but demanded the convention be incorporated into Scottish domestic law.
She added: "There are clearly areas where the Scottish Government needs to take action, including the locking up of 16- and 17-year-olds in adult prisons, the low age of criminal responsibility and the persistent poverty that stops children getting the best possible start in life.
"Fear among adults of contact with children and young people has created an unhealthy climate that … hampers healthy development."
The full article contains 205 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
