Charity calls for advertising watershed

Alcohol Concern has issued a call for a 9pm watershed for adverts featuring drinks brands. In a new report, "Not in front of the children", the group claims that …

… commercials for alcohol increased “dramatically” at peak children’s viewing hours, but this has been rejected by Portman Group chief exec David Poley.

According to Srabani Sen, the Alcohol Concern chief executive, “A watershed ban is the only way to give parents the peace of mind of knowing that their children can be kept safe from the influence of advertising”. The group is particularly concerned by drinks ads that have featured in The X Factor and The Simpsons, as well as supermarket commercials that feature promotions on drinks. The report was funded by the Alcohol Education and Research Council, and was based on monitoring adverts for a week during December 2006 and March 2007.

The current rules state that alcohol adverts are banned from appearing during programmes where children make up more than 20% of the audience – but Alcohol Concern fears that this means that many children are still exposed to ads.
Responding to the report, Poley commented: “The advertising rules, which were toughened two years ago, ban adverts from targeting or appealing to under-18s. Shielding this age group from any images of alcohol is not helping them grow up with sensible and balanced attitudes to drinking.”

For a full interview with Alcohol Concern’s Srabani Sen, click here

© db / Ben Grant / 29 August 2007