Gambling, alcohol and tobacco brands target children in age-restricted ads
Children have been targeted by almost 160 gambling, alcohol and tobacco adverts which break advertising rules, according to the regulator.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had found 159 adverts on 34 websites and five Youtube accounts aimed at children.
Companies placing age-restricted ads online are required, under the Advertising Code, to target their ads away from children.
The ASA’s “monitoring sweep” found the majority of adverts were for food and drinks that were High Fat Salt Sugar (HFSS). The regulator found 78 HFSS ads from 29 advertisers appeared on 24 websites and five Youtube channels over a three month period.
These types of adverts should be targeted away from children’s media, but the ASA said that the majority of ads were for goods such as butter, seeds and nuts. While classified as a technical breach of the rules, they are unlikely to be bought by children.
Gambling brands were a big offender, with 70 different betting promotions found on eight websites in the period between April and June 2020. The probe also found ten different alcohol ads from one brand appeared on one website, while one e-cigarette ad appeared on one website.
The ASA said it had monitored ads served on a sample of over 50 websites and Youtube channels and said it was taking follow-up action to contact the advertisers whose ads broke the rules. The regulator did not name any of the sites where the ads were found.
ASA boss Guy Parker said: “The ASA is using technology to proactively monitor online ads to help build a culture of zero tolerance for age-restricted ads appearing on websites aimed at children.”
“We expect advertisers and the parties they contract with to use the sophisticated tools available to them to target their ads responsibly. This is just one part of a wider set of initiatives we’re undertaking to ensure children are protected online and we’ll report on our further work in this area in the coming months.”
A Youtube spokesperson said: ““We have strict advertising policies that are designed to both protect users and help advertisers seamlessly comply with the latest industry and regulatory standards. We are always working to improve our policies and enforcement practices, which is why we recently introduced a new policy to prohibit the promotion of High Fat Salt Sugar food and beverage products to minors in the EU and UK.”