Reg Bailey's review into the sexualisation of children has provoked serious debate within the highly competitive childrenswear market. As a direct result of this, all clothing stores have been advised to ensure that their layouts are age-appropriate.
Jane Bevis, director of public affairs at the British Retail Consortium explained: "We know, for instance, that the top floor of Selfridges has some fairly racy lingerie. Now you wouldn't - and they don't - want to have that situated next door to the department selling girls' knickers."
It seems a relatively obvious concession to ensure that children's clothing is situated well away from more adult-themed clothing sold in many stores, but the problem facing the childrenswear market runs much deeper than a simple store redesign. In many cases, popular childrenswear itself has become overtly sexualised.
Mr Bailey let his thoughts on the matter be quite clear when he described recent fashion trends as leading to a "pornification" of British youngsters under the age of 12.
Justine Roberts of Mumsnet warned that the British public have been "sleepwalking into a world where our children dress like pole dancers".
Major children's fashion retailers, such as Next and Gap are expected to develop a multi-faceted approach to tackling the issue. Part of which will be a promise to stop selling age inappropriate clothing to children under the age of 12; this includes high-heeled shoes, underwired bras and clothing featuring adult slogans.
Furthermore, any retailers who continue to design and sell childrenswear, which in the opinion of the parent is not suitable for children, may find themselves reported officially.
The government is pressing ahead with plans to set up a website where concerned parents can make complaints against companies, retailers, advertisers and broadcasters, should they feel that what they are promoting or selling, crosses the boundaries of public decency.
Of course, such a move is fraught with inconsistencies. While most parents would take offence at seeing a child with 'future porn star' written on their clothing, for some it is a harmless joke. Although this is an extreme example, it does highlight that placing the emphasis on parents to judge what is right or wrong for their children will inevitably lead to great inconsistencies.
The message, however, for a child's clothing retailer is relatively simple: children's clothing should be designed for children (to encourage them to enjoy being a child), rather than to promote them as an adult in smaller sized clothing. The toy market, which came under severe pressure in the mid nineteen nineties to downplay violent imagery in its boys' toys, has, to a large extent done moved away from the gratuitous - UK retailers such as Hamleys Toys now carry as much fantasy and sporting inspired boys toys.