Toy Adverts Rarely Mislead Children

Research published today by the ITC shows that toy advertising very rarely misleads or confuses children.

The research shows that children have a higher understanding of advertising methods than that of parents. This included distinguishing reality from fantasy, interpreting messages and understanding how various special effects techniques operate. Younger children were less efficient in deciphering commercials and led to confusion. This was noticeable in children without older siblings or those who did not attend nursery school. An example would be that younger children expected individual toys that made up a set to be available in the shops as an entire set.

Children may also be misled by an advert as they expected toys with similar features to their own to perform the same functions rather than different ones. Children of all ages were immediately disappointed if a toy could not be played with because it had to be assembled first.

Frank Willis, Director of Advertising and Sponsorship, said: “The results of the research do not suggest any immediate changes are needed to the current rules on toy advertising. However, the ITC urges those responsible for creating and approving toy advertisements to study the report and take account of its findings, particularly in relation to toy advertisements directed at younger children, who are more vulnerable.”

Generally, children accepted advertising as part of their daily life, with older children unlikely to be misled due to their experience with visual imagery. Younger children had a higher level of expectancy but this was not significant enough to allow them to be misled by any advertising techniques.

ITC: 0171 255 3000