ASA to Announce Ban on Sexualised Depictions of Under-18s

The Advertising Standards Authority will announce on Friday new rules that will ban the sexualised depiction of the under-18s in adverts.

Following a consultation, the ASA’s rule-making committees – BCAP for broadcast advertising and CAP for non-broadcast – have decided to implement a complete ban on such images.

The ban will come into effect after a six-month grace period allowing advertisers to prepare for what will be a blanket prohibition. However, advertisers are warned that during the grace period, the ASA will still look at complaints about the sexualised portrayals of under-18s and will be able to uphold them under its social responsibility rules.