CAP codes go to consultation

Games aimed at adults will be banned from being advertised pre-watershed and marketers will be banned on collecting data on under 12’s without parental consent if proposed changes to the advertising codes are passed.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has today (March 25) launched a public consultation on its “root and branch” review of the advertising codes covering broadcast and non-broadcast carried out over the last eighteen months.

The proposals suggest creating a single code to replace the current four covering broadcast, and the introduction of new restrictions on areas such as marketing to children, and environmental and health and nutritional claims.

Rules governing advertising of alcohol, food and soft drinks to children and gambling are not included in this review as these areas have been amended recently.

The review is the first time the codes have been reviewed as a whole. The non-broadcast code was last reviewed in 1995 and the TV code was looked-at in 2002, while the radio code was reviewed a year earlier in 2001.

The consultation is due to run until mid-June and new rules are expected to come into force next year.

Andrew Marsden (pictured), chairman of the code review working groups, says: “Both society and the world of advertising are constantly changing so we must ensure our rules reflect those changes and are easy-to-follow.

Industry should be proud of its active commitment to self-regulation which is a great example of corporate social responsibility in action.”

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