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Zoella ASA

ASA urged to close vloggers advertising loophole

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By John Glenday, Reporter

March 30, 2015 | 2 min read

The Advertising Standards Authority is being urged to close a loophole allowing video bloggers to screen junk food and gambling ads on content aimed at children, following an investigation carried out by The Independent.

It found that popular ‘vloggers’ such as Zoella and Alfie Deyes regularly screen junk food adverts for the likes of Coca-Cola and Haribo even an online gambling promotion, despite many of her subscribers being children as young as 11.

Such content would be banned from broadcast on terrestrial television but these strict rules are not applicable to vloggers, who partner with Google’s Adsense system which allocates adverts based on its own methodology.

Many such channels can accumulate millions of page views with Zoella receiving an estimated 45m hits per month and Deyes receiving around 36m, generating ad revenue of up to £20k for some of the more popular channels.

Current rules stipulate that broadcasters cannot advertise products which are high in fat, salt or sugar on shows commissioned for or likely to be viewed by those aged 16 or under.

Amongst groups calling for a change in the law are The National Union of Teachers and Action on Sugar.

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