Wikipedia

Draft:Advertising restrictions

Many countries around the world have established various restrictions on advertising. Academics, journalists, and activists have called for the creation of additional restrictions.

Restrictions by country

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  • In the UK, the country's "advertising watchdog", the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) banned a campaign by Ryanair "which urged customers to fly with "Europe's Lowest Fares, Lowest Emissions Airline. Everybody knows that when you fly Ryanair you enjoy the lowest fares. But do you know you are travelling on the airline with Europe’s lowest emissions as well?" as they found its claims misleading.[1] It also banned 'green' ad campaign by Shell as it was found to "likely to mislead".[2] in 2020, the UK government proposed a ban on online advertising of junk food.[3]
  • In Germany, there are plans for new restrictions on advertising for unhealthy sweets for children in specific.[4]

Restrictions in online platforms

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{image needed} Various types of disputed advertising is shown on YouTube. One type concerns climate misinformation. According to news reports, Google promised to stop running ads of this type alongside videos and other content but as of 2023 hasn't effectively done so.[5]

By field

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Food and drink

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Example of how advertisements advocating unhealthy food often look like (AI generated)
A typical fast food ad as can often be seen on TV in the 2010s

Multiple reviews and many studies indicate restrictions on advertisements for food classified as unhealthy are needed and would be effective.[6][7][8]

A 2018 study hypothesizes health benefits of bans on advertising for unhealthy foods are partially offset "by firms lowering prices and by consumer switching to other junk foods".[9]

A review on the health effects of sugars concludes that their findings "promote the development of policies worldwide" for "restrictions on advertising and marketing" alongside sugars taxes, food labelling laws, and possibly other measures.[10]

Misleading ads regarding environmental issues

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The Advertising Standards Authority banned Airline adverts for being misleading, some have called 'greenwashing', as they claimed the airlines would enable people to "travel better and sustainably" which due to the environmental effects of aviation is not true.[11][12][13] Advertisements may also be a subject in air travel demand reduction.[14][15]

There has been criticism of car advertisements. For example, data has shown U.S. automakers "are spending at least twice as much to push their largest models of electric vehicles" compared to more compact options.[16]

In 2023, the book Badvertising: Polluting Our Minds and Fuelling Climate Chaos about the psychological, social and environmental costs of advertising is released, suggesting that the advertisment industry is a substantial barrier to the transformation to sustainability and climate goals.[17][18][19]

Drugs

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An advertisement for cocaine from a past century
 
Types of bans on tobacco advertising, 2014[20]

There have been calls for advertisement restrictions of pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, the latter largely in the light of recent or potential drug liberalizations – mainly cannabis legalizations. The U.S., a prime region of the opioid epidemic, is one of only two countries to allow direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads.[21] Such adverts may be relevant to consumer protection.[22] A public health approach to legalizations may involve "providing protection to children and youth and other vulnerable and marginalized populations through careful regulation of (1) the availability of and access to cannabis products; (2) advertising and marketing; (3) product potency, form, and characteristics; and (4) packaging and labeling".[23]

For example, there has been a report about attractive billboards advertising marijuana dispensaries in plain view of underage kids in California.[24] A study suggested "advertising restrictions may be needed to protect youths and young adults from pro-use messages".[25]

Entities other than the manufacturers like health care insurers, start-up clinics, telemedicine start-ups are increasingly marketing prescription drugs but in many countries are "not being held to any standard regarding what they can say about the drugs in question".[26] A study found social media cited among the most frequent channels from which cannabis advertisements were noticed across U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions.[27]

Advertising exposure and parenting

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A scientific review about risks and benefits of screen time by children suggested further research may show a better approach than merely reducing screen time would be for parents to promote interactive educational experiences but limiting exposure to advertising.[28]

Activism and NGOs

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A report calls for a ban on advertisements for a type of cars due to climate change-related effects and climate goals.[29]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ethically disputed advertising.

References

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  1. ^ Gerretsen, Isabelle. "The adverts banned for misleading climate claims". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  2. ^ Sweney, Mark (6 June 2023). "Shell's 'green' ad campaign banned in UK for being 'likely to mislead'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Online junk food advertising: Could banning it tackle obesity?". BBC Science Focus Magazine. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Ernährung von Kindern - Was für und gegen ein Werbeverbot für ungesunde Lebensmittel spricht". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  5. ^ Grant, Nico; Myers, Steven Lee (2 May 2023). "Google Promised to Defund Climate Lies, but the Ads Keep Coming". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Scientists Are Building A Case For How Food Ads Make Us Overeat". NPR. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  7. ^ Boyland, Emma J; Nolan, Sarah; Kelly, Bridget; Tudur-Smith, Catrin; Jones, Andrew; Halford, Jason CG; Robinson, Eric (1 February 2016). "Advertising as a cue to consume: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of acute exposure to unhealthy food and nonalcoholic beverage advertising on intake in children and adults12". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 103 (2): 519–533. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.120022. ISSN 0002-9165.
  8. ^ Boswell, Rebecca G.; Kober, Hedy (February 2016). "Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: a meta-analytic review: Food cue reactivity and craving meta-analysis". Obesity Reviews. 17 (2): 159–177. doi:10.1111/obr.12354.
  9. ^ Dubois, Pierre; Griffith, Rachel; O’Connell, Martin (1 January 2018). "The Effects of Banning Advertising in Junk Food Markets". The Review of Economic Studies. 85 (1): 396–436. doi:10.1093/restud/rdx025.
  10. ^ Huang, Yin; Chen, Zeyu; Chen, Bo; Li, Jinze; Yuan, Xiang; Li, Jin; Wang, Wen; Dai, Tingting; Chen, Hongying; Wang, Yan; Wang, Ruyi; Wang, Puze; Guo, Jianbing; Dong, Qiang; Liu, Chengfei; Wei, Qiang; Cao, Dehong; Liu, Liangren (5 April 2023). "Dietary sugar consumption and health: umbrella review". BMJ. 381: e071609. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-071609. ISSN 1756-1833. PMC 10074550. PMID 37019448.
  11. ^ "Airline adverts banned over 'greenwashing' claims". BBC. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  12. ^ "UK watchdog bans adverts by 3 airlines over 'misleading' green claims". www.ft.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  13. ^ Greenfield, Patrick; Sweney, Mark (6 December 2023). "Air France, Lufthansa and Etihad ads banned for misleading claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  14. ^ Gössling, Stefan; Dolnicar, Sara (January 2023). "A review of air travel behavior and climate change". WIREs Climate Change. 14 (1). Bibcode:2023WIRCC..14E.802G. doi:10.1002/wcc.802. ISSN 1757-7780. S2CID 251677425.
  15. ^ Paddison, Laura. "How the rich are driving climate change". BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  16. ^ Westervelt, Amy (21 November 2023). "Ad industry grapples with role selling consumption in climate crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  17. ^ Simms, Leo Murray and Andrew (23 November 2023). "Badvertising: How Promoting Pollution Prevents Climate Action". DeSmog. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Badvertising - polluting minds". theecologist.org. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  19. ^ Simms, Andrew; Murray, Leo. Badvertising: Polluting Our Minds and Fuelling Climate Chaos. ISBN 9780745349145.
  20. ^ "Enforcement of bans on tobacco advertising". Our World in Data. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  21. ^ Lopez, German (April 2022). "The Perils of Legalization". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  22. ^ Donohue, Julie (December 2006). "A History of Drug Advertising: The Evolving Roles of Consumers and Consumer Protection". The Milbank Quarterly. 84 (4): 659–699. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0009.2006.00464.x. ISSN 0887-378X.
  23. ^ "A Public Health Approach to Regulating Commercially Legalized Cannabis". American Public Health Association. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Opinion | Public Advertising of Marijuana After Legalization". Wall Street Journal. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  25. ^ Fiala, Steven C.; Dilley, Julia A.; Firth, Caislin L.; Maher, Julie E. (January 2018). "Exposure to Marijuana Marketing After Legalization of Retail Sales: Oregonians' Experiences, 2015–2016". American Journal of Public Health. 108 (1): 120–127. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304136. ISSN 0090-0036.
  26. ^ "The Dangers of Unregulated Drug Ads | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health". publichealth.jhu.edu. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  27. ^ Rup, Jennifer; Goodman, Samantha; Hammond, David (1 April 2020). "Cannabis advertising, promotion and branding: Differences in consumer exposure between 'legal' and 'illegal' markets in Canada and the US". Preventive Medicine. 133: 106013. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106013. ISSN 0091-7435.
  28. ^ Sanders, Taren; Noetel, Michael; Parker, Philip; Del Pozo Cruz, Borja; Biddle, Stuart; Ronto, Rimante; Hulteen, Ryan; Parker, Rhiannon; Thomas, George; De Cocker, Katrien; Salmon, Jo; Hesketh, Kylie; Weeks, Nicole; Arnott, Hugh; Devine, Emma; Vasconcellos, Roberta; Pagano, Rebecca; Sherson, Jamie; Conigrave, James; Lonsdale, Chris (13 November 2023). "An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths' interactions with electronic screens". Nature Human Behaviour: 1–18. doi:10.1038/s41562-023-01712-8. ISSN 2397-3374.
  29. ^ Laville, Sandra (3 August 2020). "Ban SUV adverts to meet UK climate goals, report urges". The Guardian.
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