Article 13 - Protecting of children and young people
(1) Advertisers should take special care in advertising that aim at children and young people.
(2) Advertisers should take special care to ensure that advertisements directed to children can be easily identified. In presenting fictional advertisement elements and imaginary figures special care must be taken to provide that it should not make it difficult to distinguish between reality from fantasy.
(3) An advertisement made for or featuring children and young people may not include any statement, visual element or sound effect that could damage them intellectually, morally or physically and make use of their credulity, inexperience and view of the world.
(4) Concerning the real nature and utilization opportunities of the product the advertisement cannot be misleading or deceptive. Thus, especially demonstrating the product, advertising should not minimize the degree of skill or understate the age level generally required to assemble or operate the product. It is likewise prohibited to present the product in an exaggerated size, value, nature and durability or to fail to disclose information about the need for additional purchases, such as accessories, or individual items in a collection or series, required to produce the result shown or described.
(5) An advertisement may not conduce in children the feeling that if they do not obtain the goods advertised they need to feel shame or disadvantage.
(6) An advertisement may not suggest that in case the child or the person asked by them does not purchase the given product or use the given service they infringe an obligation or promise.
(7) An advertisement may not damage respect that children and young people have for parents and teachers, and may not encourage disobedience against them.
(8) Presentation of the price in advertisement shall not be misleading for a child, for instance by referring to a disproportionately low price.
(9) An advertisement must not suggest that the purchasing of the advertised product is easily available for all families.
(10) In case of a prize of a promotion, when the nature of the prize justifies it (e.g. living animal, devices that can be used typically with parental help, entry ticket for a program), the parent’s right to judge about it must be observed. In the scope of this question clear reference has to be made to the necessity of parental permission.
(11) An advertisement may not make any unfair use of the trust children and the young have in their parents and teachers.
(12) Content and presentation of advertisements directed to children and young people should not suggest wrong social behavior, lifestyle, negative moral values as they were acceptable standards.
(13) A commercial advertisement shall not present children and young people in a dangerous situation. Child aged characters cannot be presented for instance in a street environment in traffic alone, in a way that would mean a source of danger to children of similar age to the character.
(14) An advertisement aimed at children may not encourage them to seek or establish contact for any reason with persons unknown to them and visit places unknown to them.
(15) Advertisement of products specifically designed for adults must not be placed in a media environment targeting children or young people.
(16) In an advertisement children can use commodities the use whereof is dangerous or hazardous only under the supervision of adults. It is forbidden to show in an advertisement children to use medication or medical equipment on their own.
(17) Even in cases not limited by relevant legal regulations, advertising in a public educational or social institution for children may be carried out only with the permission of the institute's principal. The obligation to obtain such permission applies to the character of the product and service advertised, to the contents of the advertisement, to the method of advertising and to the place of publication as well. The right of the institution’s principal to permit or prohibit a particular advertisement within their own competence should not be curtailed by any contract.
(18) No school advertising should disturb education or teaching, especially in respect of school-time, timetables and lessons.
(19) In advertising a product or a service where advertising is directly linked with a purchase opportunity and/or the opportunity of using the service (e.g. Internet-based commercial communication or other advertisements that encourage to purchase with making a phone call) advertiser should take special care to ensure that children collect the agreement of their parents or legal guardians before making a legal statement for the buying decision of the product or service.
(20) Advertising addressed to children shall use phrasing understandable for children to describe the exact and detailed conditions of obtaining the advertised good, gift, contest or competition. The communication must be suitable for children to understand the offer and its exact conditions.
