From 2 October 2017, all advertising targeting children and young people must comply with the new Children and Young People’s Advertising Code. The code replaces the Code for Advertising to Children and the Children’s Code for Advertising Food, and for the first time includes rules that cover advertising to all those under 18.

The new code has rules about identifying commercial messaging, and restrictions around the depiction of anti-social behaviour, sexual imagery and unrealistic body images and occasional food and beverage advertising.

Over the past few months the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has provided training for over 450 individuals on the principles and rules of the code. These sessions have been attended by advertisers, agencies and media.

“We have been delighted with the response from industry that demonstrates their commitment to understanding and applying this new code,” the ASA says.

Furthermore, the Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA) has introduced the Children's Advertising Code Pre-vetting Service (CAPS) on behalf of food and beverage advertisers. This service involves an independent adjudicator pre-vetting advertisements prior to placement with media.