ASA Censures Alcohol Ads Paired with Child-Friendly YouTube Videos
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint
claiming that alcohol ads were shown during YouTube videos intended for
children. According to the agency, a series of children’s nursery rhyme videos
featured advertisements for liquors sold by Wm Morrison Supermarkets
PLC (Morrisons) even though both the company and YouTube took action “to prevent alcohol content from being served during content that was
family-friendly.”
Despite these precautions and YouTube’s warning that users should not
access accounts “that declared they were over 18 years of age if they were
watching YouTube with a minor,” ASA ruled that the ads in question violated
CAP Code rules governing social responsibility, children and alcohol. “The
ASA noted that both Morrisons and YouTube had processes in place that were
intended to ensure that ads for alcohol were not directed at those under 18
years of age,” it explained. “However, we considered that the YouTube video
in question was very unlikely to be viewed by an adult unless they were
watching with a young child. We concluded that although Morrisons had
taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the ad was targeted responsibly, it
had not been targeted responsibly and therefore the ad breached the Code.”
Issue 521
