Russell Brand has divided opinion by saying he thinks parents should ask their children before tickling them.
The father-of-two claimed that to tickle a child without their consent is an invasion of their right to personal space.
“It is an attempt to subvert the child’s bodily autonomy, to take away their right to their own space and peace,” he told The Daily Star.
“Would you do it to an adult? Would you insert your rigid fingers into their belly or their armpits? Of course not.”
The comedian, who’s dad to two-year-old Mabel and six-month-old Peggy, also said that he felt “ashamed” at having tickled his friend David Baddiel’s son Ezra in the past.
“To recall doing this to Ez fills me with dreadful shame and makes me want to punch myself in the face.
“Which is what I will do to anyone who tickles either of my daughters until they are old enough to decide for themselves whether they want to be tickled or not, which by my reckoning is at 35.”
Russell’s opinion has provoked a strong reaction online.
Some people agreed, saying that forcing children to accept tickling can make them deeply uncomfortable.
Absolutely right! @rustyrockets Thank you!! Tickling is torture and molesters use it as an excuse to violate children in plain sight. https://t.co/ABCPtkpVap
— bobbied100 (@bobbied100) February 3, 2019
No. But if we foster the behaviour of consent & body autonomy from birth, we can support our teens from peer pressure and our daughters f/ unhappy relationships. Instill a fierce sense of respect for yourself, the world will be a better place, and tickling people show respect ✊
— Lottie Daley (@LottieDaley15) February 2, 2019
Completely 1 million percent agree with @rustyrockets statement on tickling. I still have traumatic flashbacks of being tickled as a young child to points of humiliation including wetting myself even when asked for said person to stop! #disgusting
— Aaron Doherty (@AaronDoherty92) February 1, 2019
Completely agree with @rustyrockets on the tickling debate. As a child I remember being tickled by uncles or family friends and having to smile to be polite, but thinking get off me I didn’t ask for this! #thismorning body autonomy is so important
— ash (@gashleighmoogan) February 1, 2019
Others accused him of being too sensitive on the issue.
So @rustyrockets wants to ban tickling. Surely it’s ok to do it to your own child, within reason. It’s not like you’d do it to a baby that’s not yours anyway?
— Mumma in Training (@mummaintrainin_) February 1, 2019
@rustyrockets – thinks drugs is ok.but a parent tickling their child having fun isn’t. What’s more offensive is people smoking drugs around kids or getting drunk around them….not tickling em https://t.co/ia6qhGMqNI
— Lindsey Jones (@warringtonian21) February 2, 2019
@rustyrockets what’s a nob! Kids shouldn’t be tickled it’s an invasion of there personal space. Get a grip! Was u never tickled, are you not tickled? Let all our kids be miserable!!!!! #kids #tickle #letskidslaugh #worldsgonemad
— Paul Major (@paulmajor76) January 31, 2019
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