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Ofcom receives complaints about 'Train your Baby like a Dog' TV show

Behaviour Child Development
The UK's communications regulator has received 30 complaints about Channel 4’s ‘Train Your Baby Like a Dog’.

The programme, which aired last night (Tuesday), teaches parents how to use clicker training normally used on dogs to train their children to be compliant with treats.

An Ofcom spokesperson said, ‘We will assess these complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’

Liz Bayram, chief executive of PACEY, sent an open letter to Channel 4, available on PACEY’s website, in which she expressed the association's concern about the programme.

She wrote, ‘We are appalled that you have decided to commission “Train Your Baby Like a Dog” and to promote this potentially damaging and outdated pseudo-science to families. Our understanding of early child development is vast and to ignore this and promote a discredited approach is irresponsible. Whatever your thinking was when you commissioned this, it was wrong and you should not broadcast a programme that suggests children can be trained like a pet!’

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