I’ve got a gripe.

And it’s not one of my usual gripes, like when Foxtel IQ ends my recording of Big Love ten minutes early, or when my hairspray runs out while I’m getting ready for a big Saturday night out.

Nope, it’s far more irritating than any of that.

It’s the inexplicable hysteria surrounding one 13 (or 14 or 15) year-old boy with a signature blow wave and an odd affiliation with Usher.

His name, for those of you who haven’t already caught on, is Justin Bieber. And he’s a Canadian-born pop star who came to fame after his mum posted a video of him singing on YouTube.

He’s had a couple of hits. And even I’ll admit they’re pretty catchy. But it’s not his music I have a problem with – it’s the ridiculous effect his image is having on young girls.

Just the other day, his only Australian gig was cancelled because a stream of thousands of frenzied teenagers – who had spent their night in a camp on Sydney Harbour – rushed uncontrollably towards the concert venue causing various injuries and hospitalizing around 8 girls.

Of course, teenage hysteria is nothing new – you only need to look to Beatle Mania for proof of that.

But here’s where I draw the line.

A 3-year-old? Crying over a boy?! She’s got the rest of her life to be heartbroken, childhood should be sodden with blissful ignorance.

Being ad folk, we all know that JB isn’t to blame for all this nonsense. He’s just a product of a much bigger, much scarier marketing machine.

Which brings me, finally, to my point.

Are these guys operating by some code of ethics? Are there any rules in place to protect kids from being sucked into pop-marketing guff?

If not, there should be.

They did it for junk food and video games. So why not protect young children – like that 3-year-old girl – against the head-honchos at the record companies who’ll sell anything, it seems, to make a dollar.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Stef

Like this piece? Think Stef’s full of it? Let us know by adding a comment or emailing her here

Tags: ethics, fan, justin beiber, mania, marketing, stefanie digianvincenzo