Tesco to Stop Displaying Tabloid Front Pages So 'Unsuitable Images' Not Seen by Children

Tesco will no longer display the front covers of tabloid newspapers so they cannot be seen by children, following a campaign.

The supermarket chain said it will now only show the newspaper's title in its 'news cube' shelves to avoid "unsuitable images" being displayed at child height.

The move was made following pressure from Child Eyes – a group who campaign to protect children from sexualisation and commercialisation – and No More Page 3, who are trying to ban photographs of topless women in the third page of the Sun newspaper.

Tesco said that all large stores will receive the new display units by the end of November and is working on altering how the papers are displayed in its express stores.

Child Eyes co-founder Claire Riseborough said she is "delighted" with the news.

She added: "We have campaigned hard on this issue for two years and it's great to see Tesco now listening to parents' concerns. We hope that other supermarkets will follow Tesco's lead and act responsibly to protect children from sexist and degrading imagery in their stores."

Kathy McGuinness, Child Eyes co-founder, added: "We completely support press freedom to publish whatever they like within the law but we also support children's right not to be exposed to sexualised material when they are just shopping in a supermarket with their parents. It's great to see Tesco taking its responsibility as the UK's biggest retailer seriously."

Tesco's customer experience and insight director, Tracey Clements, said: "As a parent myself, I recognise that newspaper front pages can sometimes have images that are inappropriate for young children. At Tesco, we take our responsibilities as a family friendly retailer very seriously and it's important that we do everything we can to promote the right environment in store. We've listened to Claire and the Child Eyes campaigners, and we've also asked our customers what they think about this issue.

"The change we're making to our display panels in our Superstore and Extra formats will strike the right balance for everyone. For our millions of customers, choosing a newspaper will still be simple and easy, but at the same time, any inappropriate front pages will now be of out of the immediate eyesight of young children and toddlers. I'm really grateful to Claire and everyone who has campaigned on this issue for raising their concerns and for engaging with us."

The move follows a decision from Co-operative supermarkets to no longer stock 'lads mags' such as Nuts unless the front pages are covered.