Marketing to Minors

ADMA members should be aware that there are specific regulations that apply when marketing to children and that inappropriate activity can cause significant damage to brands.

The Australian Association of National Advertising (AANA) has a Code for Advertising and Marketing Communications for Children. The object of the code is to ensure that advertisers and marketers develop and maintain a high sense of socil responsibility in advertising and marketing to children in Australia.

ADMA's Code of Practice also contains specific regulations with respect to marketing to children, including special consideration to how marketers go about collecting, using and disclosing children’s personal information.

It is important for members who market to children to help them retain their privacy and avoid difficult situations, such as not understanding what is on offer. The key issue to take into consideration is whether the child understands what they are doing when they agree to give you information. That is, whether the child really has the capacity to give consent. Marketers should consider adopting the following safeguards when dealing with children’s information:

• Encourage parents to participate
• Use age appropriate language
• Include a statment like "make sure Mum or Dad say its OK for you to answer these questions"
• Structure the offer such that the parent provides the information not the child (this should always occur if the child is under 8 years old)
• Opt-out mechanisms must allow parents to remove their children's details from your files at any time
• Marketing communications directed at children should not exploit their lack of experience and sense of loyalty

AANA Code on Advertising and Marketing to Children