Children are a vulnerable audience. Advertising to children must be responsible and sensitive to their needs and levels of understanding.
Codes that apply to advertising to children:
AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children (Children’s Code)
The Children’s Code applies to any advertising that targets children.
Whether an ad targets children is determined by the context of the ad and the following three criteria:
- Nature and intended purpose of the product being promoted is principally or significantly appealing to children.
- Presentation of the advertisement content (e.g. theme, images, colours, wording, music and language used) is principally appealing to children.
- Expected average audience at the time or place the advertisement appears includes a significant proportion of children.
AANA Food and Beverages Advertising Code (Food and Beverages Code)
Section 3 of the Food and Beverages Code applies to advertising food and beverages to children.
For more detail and guidance read the Advertising and Marketing to Children: Practice Note and AANA Food and Beverages Advertising Code: Practice Note.
Examples of previous decisions
Examples of ads found in breach of the AANA Children’s Code:
| Summary | Case examples |
| Advertising which depicts a premium (free product with purchase) as the main product but does not adequately explain to children how the product can be obtained. | Coles – 2020 |
| Advertising which contravenes prevailing community standards. | Match Masters – 2024 Espresso 600 – 2023 |
Examples of ads found in breach of Section 3 of the AANA Food and Beverages Code:
| Summary | Case examples |
| Advertising occasional food and beverage products where the visuals and themes in the ad are of significant appeal to children. | Guzman y Gomez – 2022 Hungry Jacks – 2022 |
Examples of ads found not in breach or the AANA Children’s Code or the AANA Food and Beverages Code:
| Summary | Case examples |
| While the food of beverage product in the ad may be appealing to children, the ad itself is not directed primarily to children. | Mondelez Australia – 2022 Yum Restaurants International – 2022, 2022 |
| The product being advertised is not of principal appeal to children. | Sportsbet – 2024 The Lott – 2024 Department of Health – 2024 Paramount Pictures – 2024 Budget Direct – 2024 |
| The use of animation does not necessarily mean the advertising is directed primarily to children. | Mosh – 2024 Kellogg Australia – 2023 |