If you think bimbotic Barbie dolls are bad enough role models, think again.

Dolls for little girls have become even more brazen in ways that have behavioural experts alarmed.

Meet midriff-baring Kennedy who has bedroom eyes and a come-hither look.

Yet she is a doll deemed suitable for children aged six years and above, according to the manufacturer's recommended age range.

Kennedy is among a range of sexually charged toys pitched at pre-adolescents here, playthings that experts say are getting young people to be more sexually aware at a younger age.

LifeStyle checked out toy shops, department stores and gift outlets in 10 shopping malls with offerings for the tween market and readily found dolls or figurines dressed in hooker-like outfits.

Forget dolls that are fashion-conscious, like how image-obsessed Barbie used to be for decades with her many interchangeable outfits, or those that are simply cute, such as wide-eyed little sister types in pink frills.

The new tasteless 'toys' are dressed in halter-neck tops with fishnet bodices, miniskirts that barely cover the private parts, cleavage-baring bodysuits and thigh-high boots and some even carry a whip.

They range in price from $14.95 to $49.90 and are aimed at girls aged three and up.

Parents who buy these items for their children often miss their sexual suggestiveness.

Housewife Nicole Lee, 27, mother of a two-year-old boy, when shown a picture of the dolls - dressed in miniskirts, tank tops and high heels - at first thought that they were simply fashion dolls.

Only after studying them for a few minutes did she note their 'bedroom eyes' and 'very sexy faces'.

Sexually charged dolls are comparable to risque content accessible freely on online and mobile media, but their influence on the young goes a step further: It is more nuanced and subconscious.

The result, says sociology professor Jean Yeung from the National University of Singapore, is that 'we may see earlier sexual behaviour and more frequent sexual behaviour'.

She points out that people, especially the very young, are influenced by their consumer choices and marketing images, which shape their opinion of what is 'right'.

At some point, as young people get more familiar with sexual ideas from a young age, she adds, social trends can be expected to change.

'Dating will become more frequent and start earlier. And teens may experiment with sex and hook-ups,' she says.

Already, news reports earlier this year back up her observation.

More girls here aged 14 and below are having sex than ever before. Sexually transmitted infections among teenagers have also been on the rise, with 791 teens diagnosed with them at the Kelantan Lane DSC Clinic in 2008, compared to just 238 cases in 2002.

Indeed, a 2007 American Psychiatric Association Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls report singled out the American Bratz series of dolls and cartoons for their particularly explicit sexualisation.

The Bratz dolls used to be extremely popular a few years ago, but were taken off the shelves when its maker faced a copyright lawsuit.

However, a US court ruled late last year that it could continue selling its dolls, and in February, its maker MGA announced a new line of dolls would be released.

The Bratz dolls were designed as multi-ethnic figurines with more normal proportions to move away from the blondehaired Barbie stereotypes.

However, they are quite overtly sexy, too, in their bell-bottom jeans, cropped tops and platform shoes.

Many of these sexually suggestive dolls sold in Singapore are designed in the West and reflect popular social values of that culture, says Mr Chang Yang Fa, chief executive officer of the Mint Museum of Toys, a private museum in Seah Street.

They may not match more conservative Asian values, the avid toy collector adds.

In fact, they even make some audiences feel awkward.

Teenagers such as 14- year-old See Yee Thien from Tanjong Katong Girls' School say such playthings can gnaw at a young person's self-esteem.

She says: 'I don't like it. Children may grow up to want big boobs just like the dolls.'

Manufacturers, including Mattel, and some retailers that LifeStyle contacted were unable to respond to queries on how they determine the suitability of their toys for an age group, despite a series of telephone calls and e-mail messages over two weeks.

But Prof Yeung believes that parents, teachers, the toy industry and even the Government need to work towards getting the young to be aware of sexual messaging and to look into clearer labels for content.

For instance, television programmes in the United States and Britain present a parental advisory of a programme just before it is aired. A similar method can be used to guide content and toys in Singapore.

'It'll need a complete institutional change,' she says.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.