Internet: Advertising

Department for Culture, Media and Sport written question – answered at on 23 July 2015.

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Photo of Chi Onwurah Chi Onwurah Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether regulations are in place on the length and frequency of internet advertising; and whether Ofcom or his Department has had discussions with the Advertising Standards Authority on the regulation of such advertising.

Photo of Ed Vaizey Ed Vaizey Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy (Jointly with Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy (Jointly with Department for Culture Media and Sport)

Advertising online is already subject to t​he UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing ​which is administered robustly by theAdvertising Standards Authority (ASA)​.

The rules (​​which apply across media) require that online ads do not contain anything that is likely to be misleading, harmful or offensive and that they​ a​re prepared in a socially responsible way.​ ​The rules place a particular emphasis on protecting children from inappropriate or harmful content.

The ASA’s online remit covers paid for search results, pop-up​s​, banner ads​ ​as well as (since March 2011)​ ​extending to cover marketing claims that appear on websites.The Code also applies to marketing ​on​ social media such as via Twitter,​ ​YouTube or on Facebook pages.

There are no rules regulating the length or frequency of internet advertising and the ASA and the Committee of Advertising Practice do not have plans to introduce any​.​

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