AANA refers to the article “Boys forfeit their right to innocence as sexualisation takes hold”, published on 1st of November, and wishes to clarify the self-regulatory efforts in relation to the sexualisation of children in advertisements.

The AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing Communication to Children exists to ensure that advertisers and marketers develop and maintain a high sense of social responsibility when marketing to children in Australia.

AANA, in response to growing community concerns about sexualisation of children in the media, completed a review and announced significant changes to this Code in April 2008. The review included an extensive consultation process, with input from community and parent groups.

A number of major changes resulted following this review, including a direct prohibition against the sexualisation of children and a ban on the use of sexual imagery in advertising targeted at children.

AANA also expanded the definition of ‘advertising’ to capture other forms of ‘marketing communication’, so that direct-to-consumer marketing activity, such as product websites or sampling activity targeted primarily at children, can now be subject to the Code.

In October 2009, AANA further published practical guidance for advertisers and marketers: Practice Guide – Managing Images of Children and Young People, which expressly stipulates that “advertisers/marketers must respect the integrity of children and young people by taking action appropriate to their age and maturity to protect them from ill-treatment and exploitation, including sexual exploitation.“

AANA believes that self-regulation is the most efficient, flexible and cost effective means of ensuring all marketing communication meets community expectations.

There is an active and transparent complaints handling system in place to deal with consumer complaints against all the AANA Codes, including the AANA Advertising and Marketing to Children’s Code, which is administered by the Advertising Standards Bureau. Complaints are upheld if there is a breach of one of the Codes and advertisers are requested to remove or amend the offending advertisement.

AANA encourages members of the public to engage with the AANA Advertising and Marketing Codes and Practice Guides to help advertisers in delivering a responsible and effective self-regulatory framework.

Scott McClellan
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Association of National Advertisers

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha