Advertising industry looks to overhaul codes of practice

The UK’s advertising industry has proposed an overhaul of the codes of practice that set out the rules advertisers must abide by.

Among the suggestions from the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) is a ban on the promotion of 18-rated computer games around children's television programmes.

The two bodies that oversee the codes of practice, which are then administered by the Advertising Standards Authority, have also proposed an end to companies exaggerating the performance of their products.

This could put an end to the ‘up to’ advertising claims of internet service providers. It could also affect the way companies selling Wifi equipment advertise their products.

There are also proposals to stop companies collecting data from under-12s without first obtaining parental consent and to challenge the claims companies make about their products' green credentials.

Andrew Brown, chairman of CAP and BCAP, said: "The UK advertising codes are widely recognised for setting a high bar for social responsibility.

"Our priority is to ensure that the rules remain relevant for the future so that consumers can continue to enjoy and trust the ads they see."

However, a decision on whether to extend the remit of CAP so its guidelines would cover internet advertising is the subject of a separate Advertising Association project. This federation of trade bodies and organisations has set up the Digital Media Group, which is currently considering the proposals.

CAP and BCAP are inviting public responses to the proposals, details of which are on the CAP site. The 12-week consultation closes on Friday 19 June and the new codes are expected to come into force in 2010.