Shocking 9 out of 10 parents swear in front of children

AN ALARMING 90 per cent of 11-year-olds have heard their parents swear.

TV stars such as Jonathan Ross and Gordon Ramsay don t help TV stars such as Jonathan Ross and Gordon Ramsay don't help

Branded an “appalling” indictment, the research revealed yesterday that the average child hears their mother or father utter expletives six times a week.

And almost half of the youngsters polled admitted it upset them. Worryingly, the other 54 per cent said they were used to it.

The poll of 3,000 11-year-olds also revealed that children are using swear words at an earlier age now, with 41 per cent admitting they used expletives in their everyday language because they heard their parents use them.

Some 86 per cent said they felt that their parents’ swearing set a bad example for them. And the language used by TV stars like Gordon Ramsay and Jonathan Ross does nothing to help.

Peter Foot, chairman of the Campaign for Courtesy, described the findings as depressing but not a surprise.

“We need parents to be the ones to put their children right before they even get to school, with ‘please’ and ‘thank yous’, rather than leaving it to teachers,” he said.

“But this is awful, appalling really. There are some age groups now who can’t say a single sentence without the F-word in it.”

A spokesman for research site www.youngpoll.com, which carried out the study, said: “When youngsters hear their parents use swear words so frequently, it’s inevitable that they will pick up bad habits.

“Parents should be aware that children are easily influenced and will try to replicate what they say whether it’s swear words or not.

“When adults hear a young child swear it’s very easy to find it humorous, yet any use of bad language should be nipped in the bud at an early age.”

Almost two thirds (64 per cent) of those polled have been disciplined at school because of their use of bad language.

Yet a conscientious 34 per cent of youngsters have tried to curb the error of their ways and asked their parents to stop using swear words in front of them.

The spokesman added: “It’s worrying that kids are telling their parents to improve their language. Mums and dads should be taking more responsibility when it comes to their child’s vocabulary.”

More than nine out of ten adults now admit to swearing every day. And those who don’t are often too fearful to challenge those who do.

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