January 2012
Brazil: Children are the main target of TV advertising in the run-up to “Children’s Day”, study finds
A monitoring report released on 30 November found that children under 12 were the main target of most TV advertising in Brazil during the 15-day period preceding children’s day, celebrated in that country on 12 October 2011.
EU: New industry coalition to ensure children’s online safety
On 1 December 2011, a new industry coalition was created by the European Commission to make a better and safer internet for children. Priority actions include making it easier to report harmful content, ensuring age-appropriate privacy settings, and a wider range of options for parental control.
Spain: 68% of parents and family members believe toy advertising during Christmas is excessive
A survey carried out in Spain by Eroski Consumer found that around 68% of parents and children’s family members believe toy advertising during Christmas season is excessive, and 56% believe advertising to be misleading.
Canada: Privacy watchdog claims online tracking of children is unlawful
On 6 December, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Canada's privacy watchdog, released new online advertising guidelines spelling out what advertisers, websites and browser developers can - and cannot - do regarding tracking, profiling and targeting. Importantly, the guidelines state that tracking “children” (no age specification) goes against Canadian privacy law since they are not likely to be able to give the meaningful consent required under the law.
Australia: Broadcasting authority casts doubt on food advertising self-regulation
A monitoring report published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on 7 December concludes that it is unclear whether self-regulatory initiatives launched by the food industry have resulted in reducing the level of children’s exposure to food and beverage advertising on free-to-air television.
US: Toy giveaway ban does not improve composition of fast food meals, study finds
In a study to be published online on 8 December in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Stanford researchers found that a ban of toy giveaways with fast food meals had no effect on the nutritional quality of the meals served.
Brazil: Fast food chain fined for giving away toys with children’s meals
On 7 December, Consumer Organisation Insitituto of Alana published a press release announcing that McDonald’s was being fined $3.2 million reais ($1.8 M US dollars) by the consumer protection agency of the state government of São Paulo (PROCON) for giving away toys with its Happy Meals, following a complaint filed by the organisation.
US: NGO draws list of most advertised toys in the run-up to Christmas
On 8 December, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) published a list of the most heavily advertised toys on 5 children’s channels during the “Black Friday” week. The list is called “The Nagging nine”, a reference to children’s alleged pester power.
France: Government tackles the “hypersexualisation” of children
A working group set up by Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, French Minister of Solidarities and Social Cohesion, will release mid-January 2012 a Charter to protect children in the media.
The Charter will establish ethical, deontological and educational criteria for the use of children in the media. It will notably set up principles to put an end to the growing trend of broadcasting advertisements and programmes encouraging the hypersexualisation of children.
France: Poll highlights teens’ privacy practices on mobile devices
On 13 December, the Commission Nationale Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), the French data protection authority, released the results of a survey on the use of smartphones by consumers aged 15 and older. 71% of respondents do not read the conditions of use before downloading a smartphone application.
US: 5 years into the Children’s Food Advertising Initiative, CBBB reports on achievements and successes
On 14 December, the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) published a report on the results of over five years of implementation of the self-regulatory programme.
The report notes the signatories’ excellent compliance with their commitment to advertise to children under 12 only products meeting minimum nutrition criteria or not to engage in child-directed advertising at all.
EU: European Commission mulls mandatory parental consent for data collection of under 18s
According to a draft proposal circulated by the European Commission, a revision to the 1995 Data Protection Directive would impose parental consent for the collection and processing of data of anyone under 18. The draft is still in discussion and might be revised before its official publication early in 2012.
US: NGO files FTC complaint against popular children’s website Webkinz
On 13 December, US NGO the Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Webkinz World and its owner Ganz for alleged deceptive and unfair trade practices.
The Netherlands: Study says parents should police children’s TV viewing to reduce obesity
On 13 December, a study published online by the International Journal of Obesity entitled: “Association between TV viewing, computer use and overweight, determinants and competing activities of screen time in 4- to 13-year-old children” looked at the association between TV viewing and children’s obesity.
US: Congress delays release of food marketing recommendations
According to amendments to the 2012 spending bill adopted on 16 December in the House and on 17 December in the Senate, the US Congress will require the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on food marketed to children to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before releasing any recommendations for marketing to children. The IWG is composed of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
UK: BHF claims advertisers exploit legal gap to target children online
On 18 December, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Children’s Food Campaign released a report entitled “The 21st century gingerbread house” calling on the UK Government to introduce consistent advertising regulations across all media in order to protect children from the influence of “junk food” marketing.