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Self-regulation regarding Children and Advertising The theme of children and advertising is the subject of widespread and often heated debate. Too often, this debate is prone to become a 'dialogue of the deaf', the opinions expressed owing as much or more to political or ethical convictions as to available evidence or practical considerations. It is not the business of advertising self-regulation to decide whether or not advertising should be addressed to children. Its function is to regulate advertisement content and since what is forbidden cannot, by definition, be regulated, it is based on two assumptions: first, that some advertising is addressed to children and second, that children are likely to see a great deal of advertising, whether addressed to them or not. As every parent knows, children are avid consumers of advertising, by no means exclusively for products or services of particular or, indeed, any obvious interest to them. However, they lack an adult's knowledge, experience and maturity of judgement, so special care is needed to ensure that no advertisement leads them into harm, exploits their natural credulity, inexperience or sense of loyalty, or encourages them to copy bad examples. Article 14 of the general ICC Code of Advertising Practice
lays
down basic rules governing advertising and children. All SROs apply these rules
and the majority of them apply additional rules of their own. It is interesting
to note that despite the public controversy surrounding this subject, a survey
carried out by the Alliance in 1995, and subsequently in 1998 and 2000, showed
that levels of complaint relating to advertising and children were
insignificant, both in terms of absolute numbers and as a percentage of total
complaints received. Avoiding harm to children. Advertisements likely to be seen by children should contain nothing which might realistically be copied and result in harm to them. Safety in the home is particularly important and advertisements should also avoid encouraging children to indulge in potentially dangerous activities, enter strange or lonely places or talk to strangers. Similarly, advertisements should contain nothing which might encourage children to neglect basic principles of health and safety. They should, obviously, never be shown using inappropriate or potentially dangerous products. Objects which might be safe in children's hands if used properly or under adult supervision, should not be shown being used in ways which might be dangerous, or by children too young to handle them safely. In each case, the degree of potential harm needs to be taken into account and behaviour which could have really serious consequences should not be shown, even if the likelihood of children copying it is not great. 
Advertisements addressed to children. Descriptions and portrayals immediately recognisable by adults as exaggeration or hyperbole are likely to be taken more literally by children, so advertisements addressed to children should avoid anything which might lead them to suppose that the product advertised is bigger or better than it really is, or result in disappointment. If additional accessories are required, or an advertised product is suitable only for children above a certain age, this should be made clear. Where prices are included, they should not be made to seem trivial by the use of qualifications such as 'only' or 'just' and, especially in the case of expensive products, advertisements should not suggest that children or their families can easily afford them. Advertisements addressed to children should not employ 'hard sell' techniques, putting children under pressure to buy or encouraging them to ask their parents or others to do so. There should be no suggestion that children will be superior to others if they own the advertised product, or inferior if they do not, or that possession of a product is essential to peer-group acceptance.
The child in advertisements. Many people take exception to what they regard as the exploitation of children in advertisements. For this reason, the use of children to present products or services which are of little or no natural interest to them, to give formalised testimony or to make comments which have obviously been put into their mouths by advertisers, is prohibited in some countries and in any case, best avoided. It is also important, especially in the light of public concern about such issues as child-abuse and paedophilia, for advertisers to avoid showing inappropriate images of children. In particular, portrayals of children which parody adult sexuality are not acceptable and great care and discretion are needed if children are shown naked or partly-clothed in advertisements
Further information
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