A headteacher of a primary school in Wales has warned parents that their children are copying behaviour seen on Love Island in the playground.
Aled Rees, who works at Ysgol Gymraeg Teilo Sant in Llandeilo, wrote to Year 4 parents about copycat activity among the pupils, including “pairing individuals” and commenting on each other’s appearance.
The fifth series of the hit ITV2 show, which has been running for five weeks and airs after the 9pm watershed, shows contestants pairing up for the chance to win £50,000.
In the letter sent home, Rees told parents the show’s stars were “no role models for our children” – when some are as young as eight-years-old.
“I am of the opinion that primary school pupils aren’t mature enough to watch a programme of this nature where a person’s appearance is more important than their personality,” he wrote in the letter, which was also published on the school’s website but has since been removed.
“The influence of the programme has led to pupils commenting on others’ appearance and pairing individuals together as they are a good ‘match’.”
Rees told parents that there were “better ways” they could be spending time with their children and more appropriate programmes for their age group to watch at home.
“I would encourage you to consider whether the programme, language and sexual nature is something that you wish your children to hear and emulate.”
Rees told the BBC that parents were generally supportive of his position and he is not the first headteacher to speak out about the show.
In the wake of last year’s series, Jane Lunnon, the head of the private Wimbledon High School in London told a national headteachers conference: “Love Island’s message, it seems to me, is conform and look beautiful otherwise you are not worthy of being loved. Which is unbelievably dangerous.”
HuffPost UK has contacted Ysgol Gymraeg Teilo Sant school for a response.