Ed Miliband wants payday lenders like Wonga banned from kids' TV
Ed Miliband has called for payday lending companies to be banned from advertising during children's TV.
In an article for the Sun on Sunday, the Labour leader said the firms "target" youngsters to put pressure on them to "pester their parents".
He said that if the Advertising Standards Authority would not issue a ban, a Labour government would introduce legislation to get the ads off screens when children are likely to see them.
Miliband was scathing of the "cartoon characters, trendy puppets or cute plasticine figures" that controversial companies such as Wonga have been known to deploy in their commercials.
"As a father of two young boys, I know how influenced they can be by what they see and I don't want payday lenders taking advantage of the cost of living crisis and targeting children in this country," he wrote.
"I think it's wrong, it's not what should be happening and that's why a Labour government would stop them advertising during children's TV, because it's bad for young people, it's bad for families and it's bad for communities."
Miliband went on to compare payday lending ads to those of junk food and gambling companies, which are banned from children's TV, and quoted a survey claiming one in three people with youngsters under 10 had heard their children repeat payday firms' advertising slogans to them.
He said: "That's why we'll be asking the Advertising Standards Authority to act on irresponsible advertising that's targeting young children by payday lenders and if they don't sort it out, we will through legislation."
Representatives from lending companies Wonga, QuickQuid and Mr Lender recently defended their business practices when quizzed by MPs on the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee.