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Children 'being bombarded with adverts online'

Dec. 15, 2007

Children looking at their favourite websites are being exposed to hundreds of adverts, some of which are inappropriate, a report claimed yesterday.

Almost all of the 40 most popular sites with seven- to 16-year-olds bombard users with adverts, encourage "pester power", or flout data protection rules.


Only two of those looked at escaped criticism in the Fair Game study, published by the National Consumer Council watchdog.

The report examined the commercial pressures that children were exposed to on their favourite sites, including online gaming forums such as Fingertime and Mousebreaker, as well as the social networks Bebo and MySpace.

Ed Mayo, the NCC's chief executive, said: "Most parents would be shocked and surprised by the hidden persuasion techniques exercised by the majority of internet sites."

A quarter of all the adverts featured on some sites were aimed at adults.

Credit cards, online dating agencies - some with pictures of topless women - and online gambling appeared prominently on some sites that were also accessed by older people.

Some of the internet forums favoured by children also have older viewers, especially the online video channels such as YouTube.

"But these are the sites that children tell us they are watching," said Mr Mayo.

Researchers, who looked at just two web pages for each of the 40 sites, found 211 marketing messages. Most of these were promoting something, or instilling "brand buzz".

The majority of websites and adverts requested some personal data from users.

But few had privacy policies, which outline how such information would be used, that children could understand.

Only CBeebies and CBBC, two BBC websites, were not criticised.

Responding to the study, the Advertising Standards Authority said the research was out of date because it was carried out before September.

"Now that the new rules for gambling advertising are in place, proactive monitoring of gambling advertisements online is routinely undertaken and only permitted advertisers can advertise in the UK," a statement said.

A spokesman for the watchdog added that its hands were tied when it came to cracking down on websites that promoted its brand through online games and social network sites.

The authority has the power to monitor only paid-for adverts.

Last night, nobody from the Barbie, EBaum's World and Mousebreaker websites was available to comment despite efforts to contact their representatives.

The examples

•Barbie.com has a wish list where children can click on their favourite toy, which allows them to email family members the message: "I wish I had a pet just like Tawny horse," for example.

•EBaum's World, a video website, has adverts for a dating service, featuring pictures of a woman wearing nothing but a pair of silver hotpants.

•Mousebreaker, an online games site with multiple adverts for online betting.