TV adverts for children law to be tightened

Laws governing the nature of television advertisements aimed at children are to be tightened up, the Minister for Communications today revealed.

Dermot Ahern expressed concern that the level of advertising targeting children was on the increase.

He said that in November he ordered the Broadcasting Commission to draw up new codes to ensure children were adequately protected.

Mr Ahern was responding to questions in the Dail, where Sinn Fein communications spokesman Sean Crowe called for an outright ban on television advertising targeted at young children.

He asked whether Mr Ahern was aware that Sweden had a ban on all television advertising directed at children under the age of 12, and said this ban had been commended as a good example for other countries to follow.

“These advertisements, often selling food that is of the most unhealthy sort for young children and expensive toys, puts tremendous pressure on less well-off families, especially at Christmas time,” Mr Crowe told the Dail.

“We saw last year that children’s advertising is starting earlier every year.

“Most parents are unable, due to the pressures of work, to monitor what kind of advertisements their children see, allowing advertisers to prey on the very young without parental supervision.”

The Green Party’s Eamon Ryan said the issue was “hugely important“, and referred to a survey his office had carried out on 200 advertisements, studying those which were targeted at children.

“It was incredible to see that it was typically the highest fat foods, the highest sugar content products, the worst products which we want to give children,” he said.

Mr Ahern said that although Ireland’s current directives were accepted at EU level, he was concerned that there was a need for review.

“I do accept that it seems to be that the level of advertising targeted at children is on the increase and it is something that we should be very conscious of,” he said.

He said that in November 2002 he ordered the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to draw up new codes in relation to advertising likely to be of “direct or indirect interest” to children.

Mr Ahern said that current rules drawn up in 1995 would remain in place while new codes were drawn up. He said however that he could not commit to a date for the introduction of these.