There’s been no shortage of horror headlines, flabbergasted parents and open letters surrounding the likes of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna recently; the pair’s outward personas are sexualised, vivid and provocative.

Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus exposes her body at the Rockefella Centre

The explicit nature of pop came to the fore recently when former Disney poster child Miley Cyrus displayed her ‘femininity’ via the conduit of ‘twerking’ and generally not wearing any clothes. For her, it’s an expression of her free will to be whatever kind of person she wants to be; for many others, it was abhorrent behaviour.

And now, a new study is set to throw the subject back into the public domain as children as young as five-years-old are innocently copying sexualised dance moves and repeating ‘dirty’ lyrics. 81.7% of the 1,500 parents in Netmums' poll said their child had sung or repeated sexual song lyrics without realising what they meant.

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In addition, 33.4% - just over a third – said their kid had mimicked explicit dance moves after seeing global stars perform them, and one in 12 said that their kid had repeated lyrics having known the context in which they were intended.

The news comes at an important time for two paradigms surrounding the hyper sexualisation of musical idols today: feminism and the protection of children.

RihannaRihanna poledances in her new video

Miley Cyrus’s seemingly irrepressible desire to be seen as a continually sexually active female has struck at the heart of an inherent, deeply rooted sexist society, while Rihanna’s influence on her younger audience is predicated by her public affiliation with narcotics and scantily-clad photo uploads to various social media sites.

Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said: “Modern parents aren't prudes - they know sex sells. But there's a strong feeling that things have gone too far now. It's toxic to tell young kids casual sex and violence are something to aspire to. Instead, if a star wants to make a statement, why not use their brain, not their body?”