Concerns about commercialisation and sexualisation of children has been high on the political agenda following the Bailey Review. The ASA has been taking steps to reduce the amount of sexualised imagery used in outdoor advertising where children are likely to see it.

Outdoor Imagery

In June 2011, the Department for Education published Letting Children Be Children, its report into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood following a review by Reg Bailey (‘the Review’). The report called upon the ASA to reduce the amount of outdoor advertising that contains sexualised imagery in locations where children could see it. In response to the Review and its own evidence on public views on sexual imagery in advertising, the ASA has indicated that its approach will seek to tighten up what is acceptable in outdoor media and has published a statement on the action it is going to take.

Marketers can receive free advice on the acceptability of advertisements that may be sexually suggestive from the CAP Copy Advice team.

ParentPort

The Review also called upon regulators to make it easier for parents to complain about content which caused them concern by creating a single, user-friendly website. In response the ASA, along with the Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), the BBC Trust, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) and the Video Standards Council have created the website ParentPort.

ParentPort provides straightforward information on what parents can do if they have seen or heard something inappropriate for their children. The site makes the process of making a complaint easier by directing parents to the right regulator for their specific area of concern. The website also provides a ‘Have Your Say’ section, which allows parents to provide informal feedback and comments which regulators will use as an extra gauge of parental views. There’s also advice on how to keep children safe online and what parents can do about other products like clothing and the display of magazines in shops.

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