ASA Children and Advertising 2005 School Resource 4

Children and
Advertising
ASA Schools and Colleges resources No. 4
ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Children and advertising
Welcome to the ASA Schools and Colleges Resources: Children and
Advertising
Here you will learn how and why advertisements are controlled in the UK, in
particular those advertisements aimed at children or that could be seen by them.
You will find examples of advertisements the Advertising Standards Authority has
received complaints about and the decisions the Authority reached about them.
In boxes like this one, you will find activities written by an educational writer to
use in class or to stimulate research.
To make the best use of these resources use them in conjunction with the
ASA website, specifically our Annual Report, the Advertising Standards
Codes, Issues, Research, Statistics and Guided Tours.
If you have any feedback on these resources e-mail us at
enquiries@asa.org.uk

The effect of advertising on children and the use and portrayal of children in
advertisements are sensitive issues. The advertising standards code are the
responsibility of an industry body called the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).
The codes lay down strict rules on advertising and children. This rule book is used by
the Advertising Standards Authority to judge if an ad is acceptable when investigating
complaints.
Common issues surrounding children and advertising are:
•Making children desire things they cannot afford or would not be able to use
•Pester power: encouraging children to pester their parents for advertised products or services.
•Showing children in unsafe or dangerous situations that other kids might emulate.
•Making children feel inferior, especially if they don’t buy the products or services shown in the ads.
•Showing children in a sexual way. I.e. wearing make-up and glamorous clothes
•Advertising soft drinks & high fat / sugar foods to children
The advertising standards codes do not prevent marketers from using photographs or
images of children but they should take care that the depiction of children is
responsible.

Images of children often appear in advertisements, both those designed to
sell children’s products and those designed to persuade adults to buy
anything from car insurance to carpets. Further, it’s not only products that are
advertised in this way; charities and health agencies regularly use images of
neglected and damaged children in their advertising to powerful effect.

Activity
Find a range of ads featuring children: what do they

have in common? How, in general, are children
REPRESENTED in advertisements in the UK?
(See Session 2 on Taste and Decency for more

detail on the concept Representation.)
Some charities have used the same sort of shock

tactics that commercial advertisers use. For
example, what do you think about this government
campaign using babies and children to persuade
people to give up smoking?

Effects and audience theory
There are many so-called ‘Effects’ theories that try to explain the way in which
media texts work on audiences and how they respond. All mass media texts
are made by institutions for targeted audiences. It is assumed then that there
will be an effect – an impact – on the targeted audience that will attract,
persuade and/or entertain them.
Research Activity
Log on to http://www.mediaknowall.com/alevkeyconcepts/audience.html for

an overview and good introduction to Audience Effects theory, including the
Hypodermic Needle Model, the Two-Step Flow, Uses & Gratifications and
Reception Theories.
Summarise each of these theories in 25 words.

Log on to
http://www.rouncefield.homestead.com/files/as_media_mod1_audiences_ql.htm
to investigate some of the arguments against each of these theories.
Which do you think are the most commonly used theories in relation to children
and young people? Give your reasons and examples where possible.

Activity
In a campaign, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

produced a series of posters that included the ones on the next slide. The
strapline was “Real children don’t bounce back”. The campaign was designed to
encourage people to report suspected child abuse.
See the ads on the next slide and discuss the points below:
Do you think the posters are effective? Are the NSPCC justified in campaigning
against the effects of violence using such imagery? What is the evidence?

European Responses
Look at the common issues surrounding children and advertising on this

section of the ASA Schools and Colleges resources; what image of children
emerges from this? What should a responsible society and media regulators
do to ensure that children are not harmed by advertising? For example, in
Sweden all advertising aimed at the under 12’s is banned and displays of
sweets are prohibited in shops within reach of little children! In Greece there
is a ban on advertising children’s toys on television between 7am and 10pm
and a total ban on advertisements for war toys. Do you agree with these
measures or do you think this is going too far? Do you think you should be
stopped from seeing advertisements for things you might want?

Debate / discussion
Organise two opposing sides in the following debate:
“We believe that all advertising aimed at children is harmful and should be
banned in places where they are likely to see it.”
(You can learn more about the European situation on

www.ppu.org.uk/children/advertising_toys_eu.html)

Child protection
Most UK media have established sets of guidelines that regulate the way that
children are represented and the environment in which media products are
seen and heard. For example, there is the ‘watershed’ on television at 9
o’clock. This is considered to be the time when younger children are no longer
watching television and when television channels can transmit more ‘adult’
material. Another major media regulator, the British Board of Film
Classification has devised a set of categories that regulate the public
screening of films for particular age groups.
Research and discussion activity
Log on to the BBFC website at www.bbfc.co.uk and the BBC website at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/decency.shtml to find out about these
regulations. For example, how are they enforced? How similar are they?
What are the common factors? Do you agree with them? Give your reasons
with examples where possible.

Advertising Regulation
CAP and the ASA were established to regulate advertising on a self-

regulatory basis, that is to say, the advertising industry taking responsibility
itself for laying down rules. The advertising codes for TV, radio and non-
broadcast media each have rules on advertising and children. Read the
codes on the ASA website or the CAP website. How similar are the rules in
the advertising standards code to the BBFC and BBC guidelines on children
and media?
ASA website - www.asa.org.uk

CAP website - www.cap.org.uk
BBFC website - www.bbfc.co.uk
BBC website - www.bbc.co.uk

Advertising and regulation: the development of a critical sense
The ASA, along with the BBC, BBFC, ITC and BSC published a piece of
research called Young People, Media and Personal Relationships which
showed that there were as many children who thought the media was a useful
a source of information about love, sex and relationships as there were
children who thought their mothers were a useful source. The study also
found that children are highly literate and do not always trust what they see in
the media. To read the report visit http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/research

There is a great deal of research on the issues arising out of advertising and
children. Not all of it is negative. Indeed, there is some evidence that children
are not simply passive consumers but active discriminators of advertising
messages. Look at the table in the next slide from an essay entitled
“Marketing techniques advertisers use in advertising to children” by Joël Brée,
dated June 2002 on the Advertising Education forum on
http://www.aeforum.org/
The table outlines reasons why children appreciate or reject adverts. Make a
careful analysis of the features and try to account for the children's
responses. What do they reveal about their ability to read advertisements?
Compare this with your own responses.

Appreciated features Rejected features
•Humour •“Idiotic” adverts

•Cartoons •Claims that appear too amazing to be
•Slogans or songs true (even if they are true)
•The presence of animals •Exaggeration of the qualities of products
•Action or their favourite heroes •Adverts that are too long or slow
•Reinforced myths •Unoriginal arguments
•The presence of older children or an •Ads where the link between the images
older person and the product is not direct or seems
confused
•A well known star or celebrity
•Abstract adverts
•Frightening adverts
•Serious statements that remind them of
school
•The use of references (e.g. literary ones,
unknown to them)

Independent critical research
At some point you will have to undertake some independent research for
assessment. A really interesting topic for independent research might be
Children and Advertising about which there has been, and continues to be, a
wealth of research.

To start you off, here is perhaps some surprising recent findings into
children’s understanding of advertising. An ITC (Independent Television
Commission*) evaluation of the research into children’s understanding of
advertising published in 2000 found that:
•81% of three to six year olds remember having seen the Coca Cola logo
and 69% remember the McDonald’s yellow M
•By the age of five or six, most children are aware of the rudiments of
advertising
•By the age of eight, children are aware of the promotional and
persuasive role of advertising.
For activities on this research, see the next slide.

(*ITC has now been replaced by Ofcom)

What surprises you about the conclusions of the research?
You might start by conducting a piece of small scale primary research to
investigate these findings using a range of non-broadcast advertisements.
(Primary research is face to face, original research; secondary research is
using work done by others.) Compile a questionnaire for a specified group of
young children. Remember to take into account the context in which the
advertisements are viewed. Make notes of your conclusions and analyse
them. From this you will be able to devise a focus question e.g. How do
young children (specify age range) respond to advertising? This question will
provide a structure for conducting the rest of the research.

For the purposes of judging ads against the advertising codes a child is
described as someone under 16 years old. It is recognised, however, that
children of different ages are at different stages of development; 6 year olds,
for example, have less experience and life skills than teenagers. So when
interpreting the advertising codes, advertisers should remain aware that a
child’s perception and reaction to an advertisement is influenced by their age,
their experience and the context in which an advertisement reaches them.

This mailing purported to come from a young
Italian fan of the person receiving it. The
mailing was personally addressed to children
which meant they might have thought it was
from a real person. If the letter had appeared
within in an advertisement in a magazine, it
would be unlikely that kids would think it was
addressed personally to them.

Pester Power
A concern of parents is the way
children can make a nuisance
of themselves by asking for an
advertised product or service.
The CAP Code requires
advertisements not to
encourage children to pester
their parents for products or
services.
The ASA upheld complaints about this mailing. It was concerned that the child’s name was
more prominent on the outside of the envelope than the addressee’s name and the child
was therefore likely to think the envelope was for him, which could encourage the child to
be a nuisance to the addressee.

Harm to children
No doubt about it, children are vulnerable
members of society – in order for them to lead
healthy, normal lives children rely on adults for
safety, shelter, food, clothing, education and
love. Adults take this responsibility seriously
and expect children to be protected from
advertisements that can lead to any harm. For
this reason, the advertising codes state that ads
should contain nothing that is likely to result in
their physical, mental or moral harm.
This poster was displayed at sports and leisure

centres. The ASA received complaints that it
was irresponsible because safety guidelines
advised against drinking an hour before
swimming, let alone in a pool! The ASA
agreed and the complaints were upheld.

Activity
The ASA considered that the advertisement was irresponsible because it

showed children drinking under water. You can see the full adjudication in the
Adjudications section of the ASA website. Visit:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.
htm?adjudication_id=34627
Analyse the way that it has been constructed to persuade its target audience:
•What effect does the water have? What atmosphere does it create?
•How effective is the slogan: new thinking, new drinking ? What does it
suggest?
•Can you think of any consequences of trying to drink underwater?
•How does the layout lead the eye of the consumer and link the product to the
activity?
•What is the name of the product? Is it effective?
•Why might this advertisement be more problematic if displayed in a leisure
centre?

The above postcards were produced by an educational publisher, Letts, as part of a
promotion. The postcards instructed children to stick the cards on the backs of pupils
who didn’t “have the bottle” to take part in the promotion. The ASA received a
complaint that they might encourage bullying. The advertising standards codes
explicitly state that children should not be made to feel they are lacking in courage, duty
or loyalty if they do not buy or do not encourage others to buy a particular product. The
ASA upheld the complaint.

The ASA received complaints that this poster for a book publisher was irresponsible
because it showed children with a gun. The advertisers argued that it was supposed to
convey the idea that by reading books you learn how children can end up in such
dangerous situations. The ASA believed that message was ambiguous and upheld the
complaints.

Activity
Parents and people generally agree that it is very important for the intellectual
development of children to read as much as possible. Penguin Books have
harnessed this idea in the advertisement on the previous page. However, the
advertisement itself was judged to be ambiguous and possibly harmful to
children. The complaints against it were upheld.
Do you agree with this adjudication?

Analysis and discussion
•What is the effect of the black and white photography?

•Where are the two young people? What kind of location?
•Look specifically at the younger of the two boys. What is his ethnicity? How
is he behaving?
•Look at the layout of the advertisement: the gun is absolutely in the middle of
the frame. What is the effect of this?
•What references are there to books in the advertisement?
•The meaning of the advertisement relies exclusively on understanding the
logo. How likely is it that children will recognize it and therefore understand
the intended meaning?

Analysis and discussion continued
•Substitute the Penguin logo in the ad for another such as that for a fast food chain, a
sports clothing brand or a toy store.
Anchorage is a term used in image analysis to describe the interaction of words and
visual texts. A photograph is often said to be polysemic, i.e. open to a range of
possible meanings. Ordinarily when text is added, perhaps in the form of a caption or an
advertising slogan, it acts to ‘anchor’ or fix the meaning, to lead the reader towards the
preferred reading of the visual text. More broadly, anchorage of an image’s meaning
can occur not only through words but through the juxtaposition (putting side by side) of
two images.
•How could you amend this advertisement so that the meaning is clearer and more
effective?

The scheduling of TV commercials
TV commercials can be particularly appealing to children because of the way they

often tell a simple story in a short time frame. Unlike ads in specialist magazines
that may be targeted at adults, such as car, home or computer magazines, children
may easily see TV commercials during the day. This means the content of ads
shown during the day and particularly around children’s programmes should be
suitable for them. For example, they should not frighten children or make them feel
inferior or emulate dangerous activities. The Rules on the Scheduling of
Advertising are used to decide when ads should be shown. The ASA can decide if
ads can be shown at anytime, at times other than around children’s programmes
(referred to as Ex-Kids), after 7.30pm and after 9pm (known as the Watershed).
The ASA had complaints about the TV commercial on the next slide which shows a
child performing a somersault on a sofa. Research has shown that children are
more likely to emulate acts that look real (as opposed to fantasy) and that are
relatively easy to copy. Even though the scene appears like a harmless piece of
fun, children could severely hurt themselves by performing somersaults on sofas as
they are not designed for that purpose. The ASA upheld the complaints.

“Copycat” behaviour is a recurrent concern amongst parents of young children. The
ASA has similar concerns to prevent children being encouraged to respond
irresponsibly to advertisements. Go to the article entitled ‘Are Copycat ads always
bad?’ on the ASA website.
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/news/news/2005/Are+copycat+ads+always+bad.htm
Discussion
Organise a class discussion in which you debate the “copycat” issue, perhaps using
your own and/or your family’s experiences. Do you support the ASA’s views?

The ASA received complaints about the TV commercial featured on the
next slide. It showed a boy in a bank robber’s outfit on the back seat of a
car. The boy complains to his dad who is driving that he doesn’t want to
go because he won’t know anybody. The impression is that he is going
to a fancy dress party. He gets out of the car and his dad then sees a
poster for a new car. The next thing that happens is that the boy runs
out of a building holding up two money bags and shouting to his dad to
drive. The complaints received were that:
•it was inappropriate to show children being coerced into doing

something illegal;
•parents and children might emulate the activity; and
•the ad trivialised gun culture.
The ASA rejected the complaints because the situation was clearly not
real, and was unlikely to encourage anyone, including children to mimic
anything in the ad.

The codes state that children should
not be made to feel inferior, or
unpopular by not buying the
advertised product
This press advertisement clearly
breached that requirement, the ASA
upholding complaints that the ad
encouraged a sense of inferiority in
children who did not have the product

This ad was also found to be exploiting
children’s insecurities –
The ad states “One of the most
common causes of bullying in school is
being fat. And there are many deeply
hurtful names associated with it…Of
course, a cereal breakfast like
Kellogg’s can’t solve complex weight
problems, but in its own small way it
can really help…”
The ASA considered that the wording
of the advertisement simplified and
trivialised bullying and the solutions to
it and thereby exploited the insecurities
of both children and parents.

The Kellogg's advertisement featured on the previous slide is attempting to
persuade children and young people to eat cereal for breakfast rather than
snacking on less healthy food. How successful do you think it is?
Analysis and discussion
What is the effect of the black and white photography?

What kind of location is this?
What is the effect of isolating him from anyone else?
How does the slogan work?
How effective is what the advertisement says about the problem? Does it
convince you, for example?

Children and Food advertising
The ASA has had to look into the issue of how advertisers address
children’s diets on a number of occasions.
Society is particularly concerned that children’s nutritional needs are

being met and that they are getting enough exercise.
Advertisements for food aimed at children need to be responsible and

the CAP Code states that marketing communications should not
actively encourage children to: eat or drink at or near bedtime, eat
frequently throughout the day, or replace main meals with
confectionery or snack foods.

These cards were handed out to
children outside school gates by an
animal rights pressure group. They
used cartoon characters to claim that
dairy milk caused acne, obesity,
flatulence and excess phlegm in
children. Farmers Unions and
members of the public challenged
whether the claims were true and
objected that the cards played on
children’s anxieties.

The ASA considered the proof sent by
the advertisers was not good enough
to prove the claims and that the cards
were likely to cause some children
undue fear and distress. The
advertisers were told not to repeat the
approach.

Child obesity is an issue of national importance in contemporary Britain. Young
people are eating foods high in fat and sugar and not exercising enough to work off
the calories. Some health professionals believe that this is leading to a national
epidemic of children who are overweight and who will have enormous health
problems in the future. This is distressing for everyone and is also a major drain on
the National Health Service. Many companies therefore, are attempting to reduce
the unhealthy elements in their products and are promoting a healthier way of
eating. For example, log on to and discuss the McDonald’s site and read their
views about the control of food advertising for children:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/values/balance/information___education.html
Visit the following sites to find out what other companies policies on advertising are
children are: www.heinz.co.uk; www.coca-cola.co.uk; www.walkers.co.uk

Research and presentation activity
Find at least 3 advertisements for food that feature young people. Analyse the
target audience.
How are they represented?
• Where is the location? What does it signify?
• What is the appeal of the product to the target group
• What techniques does the advertiser use e.g. photography, colour, slogan,
celebrities, logo or brand name, layout.
• Do you think that the advertisement is responsible or misleading?
Make a short presentation of your findings to the class.

The portrayal of children in a sexualised manner is the strongest
taboo in advertising, according to those questioned in an ASA-
commissioned survey into serious offence in non-broadcast
advertisements. You can find the report in the research section of the
ASA website www.asa.org.uk. All of the 2,000 people questioned
thought that this had the potential to cause serious offence.
Respondents were also concerned about the advertising that children

might see. 92% of those questioned thought a cautious approach
should to be taken with poster advertising because children may see
it.
Because this advertisement showed

a girl in a suggestive, sexual way, the
Authority concluded that the
advertisement was irresponsible. It
told the advertisers not to use the
approach again.

Test yourself
CAM is a registered charity established in 1970. It stands for

Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation Limited.
It awards a qualification called the CAM Diploma in Marketing
Communications, for those people wishing to enter the Advertising and
Marketing business. Download the PDF at the link below and see how far
you can answer question one.
http://www.camfoundation.com/cam/resources/AdvancedPapersDec2004/
Advertising.pdf

Further information on children and advertising:
More information on children and advertising can be found on the ASA

website in the Issues section.
The website www.mediasmart.org.uk has activities for children, parents

and teachers to help to develop an understanding of the purpose of
advertising in the context of children’s daily lives.
The Information Centre on the Advertising Association website

www.adassoc.org.uk has more information on advertising and young
people.


ASA Children and Advertising 2005 School Resource 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ASA Children and Advertising 2005 School Resource 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Children and

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Common issues surrounding children and advertising are:

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Find a range of ads featuring children: what do they

(See Session 2 on Taste and Decency for more

Some charities have used the same sort of shock

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Log on to http://www.mediaknowall.com/alevkeyconcepts/audience.html for

Summarise each of these theories in 25 words.

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

In a campaign, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Look at the common issues surrounding children and advertising on this

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Organise two opposing sides in the following debate:

(You can learn more about the European situation on

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Research and discussion activity

Log on to the BBFC website at www.bbfc.co.uk and the BBC website at

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

CAP and the ASA were established to regulate advertising on a self-

ASA website - www.asa.org.uk

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

•Humour •“Idiotic” adverts

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

For activities on this research, see the next slide.

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

This poster was displayed at sports and leisure

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

The ASA considered that the advertisement was irresponsible because it

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Do you agree with this adjudication?

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

•What is the effect of the black and white photography?

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

TV commercials can be particularly appealing to children because of the way they

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

•it was inappropriate to show children being coerced into doing

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Analysis and discussion

What is the effect of the black and white photography?

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

Society is particularly concerned that children’s nutritional needs are

Advertisements for food aimed at children need to be responsible and

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4

ASA Schools and Colleges resources No.4