The guidelines on Advertising, Advertisement Features and Sponsorship in sections 1 to 4 also apply to all Children's content.
5.1 The 蜜芽传媒 is a trusted provider of content for children. As such, we have a responsibility to ensure that advertising around this content is appropriate and does not encourage children to undertake harmful activities. In determining what advertising is appropriate around Children's content, the age of the target audience should be taken into account.
5.2 For the purpose of these guidelines, children should be taken to mean all children and young people under the age of 18.
5.3 Advertising should be suitable for the target audience. That is, it must not contain any material which would not be suitable for an unsupervised child to use. Advertisements must not:
a) contain anything that is likely to result in the physical, mental or moral harm of children
b) contain anything that it is unsafe for an unsupervised child to use. For example, matches and adhesives or products labelled 'keep out of the reach of children' which are not shown in the context of adult supervision
c) encourage children to copy any practice that might be unsafe for a child. It should not contain behaviour that is likely to be easily imitable by children in a manner that is dangerous. For example, advertisements should not depict children in hazardous situations or behaving dangerously such as crossing a main road without appropriate adult supervision
d) encourage children to enter strange places or talk/communicate with strangers. For example, advertisements should not encourage children to use websites which are not suitably moderated
e) contain offensive or profane language
f) suggest that a child is inferior or unpopular for not buying a particular product
g) seek to exploit children's credulity, loyalty, vulnerability or lack of experience. (Child actors may feature in advertisements but care must be taken to ensure that those advertisements neither mislead nor exploit children's inexperience, credulity or sense of loyalty)
h) encourage 'pester power'. For example, the arrangements should not encourage children to persuade their parents, guardians or other persons to buy or hire a product or service for them
i) actively encourage children to replace main meals with unhealthy snack foods. Due consideration should be given to local custom and market best practice. (See also 5.12)
5.4 Advertisements that involve promotions must not:
a) encourage excessive purchases in order to participate in the promotion
b) exaggerate the value of any prizes on offer, or the chances of winning them
5.5 All services which use children's brands are presumed to be Children's content
Mandatory Referral: Any proposal for a service which uses children's brands to be treated as a service aimed at adults must be approved in advance by the Advertising Governance Committee.
Prohibited categories of advertising around children's content
5.6 The following categories of advertising may not be carried in or around any 蜜芽传媒 products and services aimed at children:
a) political advertising, including any advertising advocating a position on a political or industrial controversy or matters relating to current public policy
b) faith, religion and equivalent systems of belief
c) psychic practices, including services that are clearly of an entertainment nature. For example, Tarot cards
d) adult products and services
e) tobacco and cannabis products, including eCigarettes, vaporisers and non-prescription CBD products
f) weapons and gun clubs (including replica weapons)
g) infant formula or baby milk designed for infants under six months old. (This does not include 'follow on' formulas for infants older than six months)
h) everyday food and drink items which are not classed as healthy, such as HFSS products. (See 5.12 below)
i) fast food or quick service restaurants, regardless of the specific products being advertised. See (5.12 below)
j) alcohol
k) gambling such as betting, casinos and lotteries, including gaming apps
l) cosmetic medical services such as cosmetic surgery
m) dating services
n) dieting and weightloss such as dietary supplements
o) fireworks
p) over the counter or prescription medications
q) advertising aimed at children, for products and services which they cannot purchase. For example, lottery tickets or computer or console games that are not rated for under 18s
5.7 Advertising for contraceptives and family planning products and services may not be carried in or around any 蜜芽传媒 product or service aimed at children under the age of 10.
5.8 In some cases advertising around content aimed at very young children may be directed towards the carer rather than the children. Care should be taken to ensure the advertising is still appropriate for a children's audience. None of the prohibited categories of advertising above may appear. However, it may be possible to advertise other products or services which a child cannot legally purchase or consume.
For example, advertising for a college savings fund, or for a credit card, aimed at the carer rather than the child could be acceptable. However, advertising for a lottery would be inappropriate (in the UK, children cannot purchase lottery tickets). As would advertising for cinema tickets for a film classified as unsuitable for under 15s.
Categories of advertiser requiring referral around children's content
5.9 Mandatory Referral: Advertisements in the following categories must be approved by the Advertising Standards Guardian before they can be accepted for broadcast or publication on a 蜜芽传媒 service aimed at children:
a) government organisations promoting tourism, trade or investment
b) fertility, family planning and sexual health products and services
c) cosmetics and cosmetic services
d) hair care products
e) fragrances
f) medicines and pharmaceutical products
g) health and medical services
h) games apps
i) vitamins and supplements
The Advertising Standards Guardian will consider whether:
- the proposal would meet the principles in these Guidelines
- the proposal is appropriate for a children's service
5.10 Where there is any doubt about the suitability of a particular advertisement, or where the advertisement deals with a controversial subject that relates to a matter of current public policy, this should be referred to the Advertising Standards Guardian. Where this might compromise the 蜜芽传媒's editorial integrity, the ASG should escalate the matter to the senior editorial figure.
5.11 Mandatory Referral: The following categories of advertising must be approved by a senior editorial figure before they can be accepted for broadcast or publication on a 蜜芽传媒 service aimed at children:
a) governments and government agencies (except advertising promoting tourism, trade or investment)
b) Public Service Announcements, such as public information campaigns
c) charities, trusts, foundations and non-governmental organisations
d) lobby groups
The senior editorial figure will consider whether:
- the proposal would meet the principles in these guidelines in particular in relation to the 蜜芽传媒's impartiality
- the proposal is appropriate for a children's service
Food and Drinks
5.12 The 蜜芽传媒 Studios Food Policy outlines the types of food and drink products to which a 蜜芽传媒 Children's brand could be licensed. 蜜芽传媒 commercial services would not normally accept advertising around children's content for food and drink products which fall outside these parameters such as products high in fat, salt or sugar ('HFSS').
Format and scheduling of advertising around children's content
5.13 Overlay advertising is prohibited during Children's content.
5.14 Advertising around Children's content must not include persons (including puppets or animated characters) who appear regularly in 蜜芽传媒 children's programmes. This does not prohibit featuring a 'pack shot' where the packaging artwork features a presenter or character.
5.15 Advertising for merchandise of appeal to children based on a children's brand must not appear around any content related to the same brand.
Mandatory Referral: The placement of advertising for merchandise that does not appeal to children around content related to the same brand must be approved by a senior editorial figure.
5.16 To maintain a distinction between editorial content and advertising that is clear to a children's audience, and to minimise any risk of confusion between the two, advertising around editorial content must not feature any presenters or performers associated with the editorial content (regardless of whether they appear in the specific piece of content). This does not prohibit featuring a 'pack shot' where the packaging artwork features a presenter or performer.
5.17 For the purposes of 5.14 to 5.16 advertising around Children's content includes the entire advertising breaks before, during and after the content.
5.18 Sections 5.14 to 5.16 do not apply to printed publications in cases where the advertising is very clearly distinct from the adjacent editorial content.
Mandatory Referral: The placement of such advertising in a printed publication must be approved by the Advertising Standards Guardian.
Sponsored children's content
5.20 All sponsorship arrangements around Children's content must meet the principles for advertising (see sections 2.1 to 2.7) and the principles for sponsorship (see 4.2 to 4.8)
5.21 In addition, sponsorship arrangements around Children's content must not encourage 'pester power'. For example, the arrangements should not encourage children to persuade their parents, guardians or other persons to buy or hire a product or service for them.
5.22 Children's television services may not have channel sponsors. However, individual programmes and blocks of programmes may be sponsored.
5.23 Children's content may only be sponsored by organisations who can advertise around Children's content. In addition, sponsorship is not allowed by products or services that directly appeal to children (even where the sponsorship message is directed towards the carer rather than the children).
5.24 Mandatory Referral: All sponsorship arrangements relating to Children's content must be approved in advance by a senior editorial figure.
The senior editorial figure will consider whether:
- the proposal would meet the principles in these guidelines
- the proposal is appropriate for a children's service