Pop music may often be criticised for being loosely influential over its young listeners, but a new poll has given some harder evidence about the effect it has on its child fans. 

Netmums conducted the survey and discovered that kids as young as 5 have been reciting risqué lines from songs by the likes of Rihanna or Miley Cyrus and even copying sexualised dance moves seen in music videos. 

81.7% of the 1,500 parents asked admitted that their child had either sung or repeated sexual song lyrics without realising what they meant and 33.4% added that their young ones have mimicked explicit dance moves after seeing them online or on the television.

Perhaps even more shockingly, one in 12 parents confessed that their child sang rude lyrics knowing full well the context they were in which they were meant. 

Siobhan Freegard, the website's founder, explained in a statement: “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?”