Mum sparks furious debate over whether to let her seven-year-old watch Love Island

5 June 2019, 08:24 | Updated: 5 June 2019, 08:31

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

One woman was blasted by parents for pondering whether her child should tune into the ITV2 dating show.

Love Island broke it’s series-opener record with a whopping 3.3m viewers on Monday.

But one mum has been branded "irresponsible" by angry parents after she pondered whether to let her seven-year-old daughter tune in to the dating show.

Posting on the parenting forum Netmums, the woman asked what the "appropriate" age was for children to be watching the series.

"At what age would you let your child watch Love Island?,” she said, before adding: "Is seven acceptable or would you wait until they were a teenager to allow them to watch the show?"

A heated debate soon followed, with many users horrified such a young girl would be allowed to follow the post-watershed programme.

"If it was suitable for a 7 year old then it would be shown on CITV,” slammed one.

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Another wrote: “No way I would ever let a 7 year old watch it. At a start they probably shouldn't even be up that late!”

While a third agreed: “Are you being serious no way should a 7 year old be watching it, that’s just silly!”

Others insisted the content is “far too adult for children,” and a fourth angry mum added: “Who in their right mind would let a 7 year old watch it???? My 7 year old plays with dolls, reads stories about fairies and unicorns.”

However, some parents were more relaxed about what their children were watching, as another said: "My girls are 13 and they're allowed to watch with me if they want.

"They aren't that bothered. Seven is young though."

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The heated debate comes after Love Island came under fire on several occasions ahead of the launch on Monday.

Last week, producers were slammed by viewers and former contestants for a “lack of body diversity”.

Following reports that show producers would this year be signing up their first ever plus-size model, 2018 contestant Alexandra Cane wrote: "Where the curvy girls at?".

And Malin Andersson, who appeared on the show in 2016, also tweeted: "And I thought they would have some diversity. Meh".

But host Caroline Flack has since hit back, saying ITV2 can only cast people who are “right for the show”.

“It's a dating show. You can only choose out of the people that apply,” she told The Sun.

"They've just got to be right in that moment, they don't cast it because of what they look like, it's who's in the right moment."