The decision by the Government to ban children less than 12 years of age from being used in commercial advertisements is indeed a welcome step. Children are a cheap source of advertisements, unlike film stars or sportspersons to promote commercial products, particularly over television. This could well be one of the reasons for advertising firms to draw on children in the exercise.
Presently, alcohol and tobacco are not sold to children and for the right reasons. Similarly, using children in commercial advertisements, too, should not be resorted to. Parents are solely responsible for lending their children to stand in for commercial advertisements perhaps, considering this as a matter of prestige. They fail to realize the damage they could cause to the children by exposing them to the bright lights, literally and metaphorically, at a tender age.
Besides, there is a likelihood that the children so deployed for advertisements could divert from their studies, due to the glamour and money involved. Therefore, using children at such a young age as objects of commercial enterprises, ought not to be encouraged at all costs. Education should be the prime focus of the parents where their children are concerned. In no way should their studies be disrupted at such a young age which standing for commercial advertisements on television could well result in.
According to Health and Mass Media Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha Wijemuni, the use of children under 12 years of age in commercial advertisements will be prohibited from January 1, 2025. In our view, this should be extended to at least 16 years. He confirmed that all necessary arrangements to enforce the relevant gazette notification have been completed. He noted that previous administrations delayed implementing this regulation for seven or eight years, but the present Government is committed to avoid further delays. He told Parliament that commencing January 01 they will completely halt the use of children under the age12 in advertisements. “We will firmly implement this decision from the beginning of the new year,” he told the House. Sometime back also, there was an unofficial ban on using children in advertisements, which later fell by the wayside.
Children are being exploited on many fronts and using children to stand for commercial advertisements is only one such instance. Most often these children are used to promote goods and consumer items that are harmful to health. At one time children were used to promote the consumption of sausages in a way that would invariably persuade most middle class parents to make sausages a part of the regular menu at home. The health risks involved therein are only too well known.
Children are also used, particularly on television, to promote indulgence in sweets and ice creams which too can have a deleterious effect on them. Of course, the mass media and TV channels are not to be blamed for this. It is the advertising agency or manufacturing firm that is responsible for picking children to promote their wares. These firms should be told in no uncertain terms that the use of children in advertisements is no longer permissible. They, certainly, can use other creative ways to push through their products, albeit by parting with additional financial resources.
Anyway certain advertisements carried on the mini- screen most often border on the ridiculous. There was at one time an advertisement which made an aged mother look just as beautiful as her daughter. The secret, according to the advertisement, was that the mother used a particular brand of perfumed soap. Today, unlike in the past, the public could not be easily fooled since they could see through the advertising gimmicks on display.
Rather than promote the product advertised this would instead actually have the effect of the public boycotting such a product .The creators of such advertisements therefore should take cognizance of this and make their advertisements more down to Earth and realistic. The current festive season has brought with it a flood of commercial advertisements, some of them not made to fit the bill. Christmas, which has a more profound meaning, is being exploited to the hilt for commercial purposes.
The intrusion of advertisements into popular programmes on television should also be curtailed. This not only kills the effect of the programme concerned but also keeps the viewers off such programmes out of sheer disgust. Hence, the producers may not get the anticipated mileage for their products by driving away the viewers. In the not too distant past, advertisements irritatingly intruded into the telecast of cricket matches with the viewers being able to watch only the part of a bowling over in progress to the great annoyance of cricket fans. Thankfully, this practice is now no more with realization apparently dawning on those responsible at last.
Of course, TV companies earn their revenue primarily through the medium of advertisements and they cannot be blamed per se for trying to maximize profits by the insertion of more and more commercial advertisements to coincide with popular prime time programmes. At the same time, the interests of the viewers too should be taken into account and a balance maintained.
