POP culture has spawned lurid lyrics, often transmitting into the consciousness of children a host of four-letter words, aggressive sex and other intimate details.

Katy Perry's California Gurls has this line, "sex on the beach, We don't mind sand in our stilettos", and Lady Gaga's Love Game proclaims "Let's have some fun, this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your disco stick".

Universiti Teknologi Mara communication and media studies senior lecturer Mohd Amirul Akhbar, who is a father of four, is worried.

"Access has become so much easier with the advent of downloading and videos on-demand through sites like YouTube."

He believed guidelines and a rating system for lyrics, similar to the ratings for movies and books with sexual content, could mitigate the problem.

Ayu Ali, 30, was shocked when she overheard her 10-year-old son mouthing a tune from Eminem with explicit lyrics.

"I was petrified when my son uttered the words. I snatched his mobile phone and deleted the song.

"We need to be extremely watchful and never miss a teachable moment."

Mohd Fadli Jamalodin, 31-year-old chef with two children, said he was unnerved by the availability of these songs over mainstream radio, exposing children to "early sex".

He said parents would have to help children choose age-appropriate songs.