The Australian Association of National Advertisers' (AANA) new Children’s Advertising Code comes into effect today following the completion of a wide-ranging public review.
The Code has an expanded remit, applying to all advertising targeting children, not just advertising of children’s products, and adds new protections to prohibit the advertising of products such as vapes or kava to children.
It sets the minimum standards for advertising targeting children including:
- a clear prohibition on marketing of hazardous products (eg. vapes) to children or encouraging unsafe practices (eg. bullying or unhealthy body image);
- recognition of recent research around the power of influencers and delivers additional protection that requires influencer advertising to be clearly and immediately recognisable as advertising to a child;
- a special recognition that advertising targeting children must be communicated in a way clearly understood by children and goes beyond Australian Consumer Law;
- a prohibition on the use of sexual appeal or sexual imagery in any communication with children;
- a prohibition on the use of images that may unduly frighten or distress children; and
- a prohibition on advertising that encourages pester power or undermines parental authority.
AANA CEO Josh Faulks said the Code recognises the distinct vulnerability of children and provides a robust framework for the advertising industry.
“The Code is no longer limited to advertising for children’s products and will provide critical protections around any advertising directed at children,” Faulks said.
“It places a clear ban on directing advertising of hazardous products to children such as vapes, kava or highly caffeinated drinks. It also prohibits the encouragement of unsafe practices, including bullying or promoting unhealthy body image, and the use of sexual appeal or imagery when communicating to children.”
The new Code pays special attention to the rise of ‘kidfluencers’ and influencer advertising directed at children.
“The rules go beyond Australian Consumer Law recognising the subtle, embedded nature of influencer advertising directed at children which research says lowers children’s ability to recognise it as advertising. It must now be immediately clear to a child that they are interacting with advertising content,” Faulks said.
The new Children’s Advertising Code complements AANA’s Food & Beverage Advertising Code which already bans advertising of occasional food and beverages to children.
These apply to all advertising, across all media channels at all times of the day.
To support Australian advertisers in complying with the new rules, AANA will provide comprehensive training to the industry.
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