Children should be 'prepared and not shielded' from ads: ISBA director of public affairs Ian Twinn
Chidren need to be "prepared and not shielded completely" from advertising to gain a grasp on the purpose of the industry and its aims, according to ISBA director of public affairs Ian Twinn.
His comments come following a report by the Mother's Union which found that 80 per cent of parents in Britain are concerned about the commercialisation of childhood.
“ISBA welcomes the Mother’s Union report," Twinn commented in a statement. "The commercialisation of childhood is an issue that we all take very seriously. However, children need to be prepared and not shielded completely in order to understand what advertising and marketing is trying to achieve.
"Brands and organisations with causes and ideas wanting to speak to children need to be very careful and make sure children understand that they are being advertised to."
The research used in the Mother's Union, which was carried out by ComRes, surveyed over 1,000 parents in Great Britain in 2010 and 2013. It shows that the proportion of parents who think advertising that can be seen by children is well regulated has decreased since the charity’s previous research in 2010.
Just 30 per cent of parents in Great Britain agree that advertising is well regulated in 2013, compared to two in five (39 per cent) who said this in 2010.
Twinn added: “We, as advertisers, fully support the advertising rules which apply equally to vloggers as to cinema and posters. As an industry, we committed more than ten years ago and launched Mediasmart which aims to help teachers, pupils and parents to understand what advertisers are aiming to do.”