A mother from Northumberland Park, U.K., is calling for her son’s school to ban “Sleeping Beauty” due to its conflicting message about sexual consent.

“[W]hile we are still seeing narratives like this in school, we are never going to change ingrained attitudes to sexual behaviour,” Sarah Hall said on Twitter on Nov. 19.

In an interview with the Chronicle Live, Hall said the story teaches children that it’s fine to kiss a woman who is sleeping, without receiving her consent. In the modern version of the fairy tale, a princess named Aurora encounters a curse and falls into a deep sleep – one that can only end once she is kissed by a king’s son. 

“It’s about saying is this still relevant? Is it appropriate?” Hall told the Chronicle Live. “In today’s society, it isn’t appropriate - my son is only six, he absorbs everything he sees, and it isn’t as if I can turn it into a constructive conversation.”

But Hall said that removing the books completely isn’t the answer. Rather, she said the books should be used to teach older children about sexual consent and how the princess might feel.

The tweet sparked a debate about school curriculum, social activism, and the recently trending hashtag, #MeToo, which denounces sexual harassment and assault. The hashtag has been widely used by women and men sharing their stories in the wake of numerous sexual assault allegations – most notably, those allegations made against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. 

“Oh no what about Little Mermaid? She basically stalked the Prince in her movie! . . . Will this get offended at everything ever end?” Twitter user Rebekah Povey said in a tweet. 

“It’s just a fairytale. It has no basis in real life. No one thinks that a pair of shoes can change your life because of Cinderella,” another Twitter user wrote.

Others agreed with Hall, commending the suggestion that the book be used as a point of discussion for older kids.

"You've challenged some entrenched & unthinking views on this, but you're spot on," author and criminologist Richard Hoskins wrote on Twitter.

"It’s easier for everyone to deal with the small and subtle causes and reinforcers of misogyny before they become full on mindsets," Toronto consultant Sean Simpson replied in a tweet.

"Avalanches start with snowflakes, just [because] it seems insignificant doesn’t mean it can’t devastate."

Hall declined to comment when contacted by CTVNews.ca, referencing the “volume of abuse” she has since received. 

In Canada, similar motions to ban popular children’s books occur every year. 

On its annual list of materials to “reconsider,” the Toronto Public Library listed “Tintin in America” as a children’s book that was moved to the adult category after being reviewed in 2016.