With focus on kids, govt curbs misleading ads; prohibits surrogate advertisements | India News,The Indian Express
As per the guidelines, surrogate advertisement refers to an advertisement for products or services, whose advertising is otherwise prohibited or restricted by the law.
An advertisement for junk foods, including chips, carbonated beverages and such other snacks and drinks shall not be advertised during a programme meant for children or on a channel meant exclusively for children, say new guidelines notified by the Centre to curb misleading advertisements.
The guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, had been notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs on Thursday and have come into effect.
While the guidelines provide for regulation of bait, free claims and children-targeted advertisements, it prohibits surrogate advertisements.
The guidelines state: “An advertisement of any goods, product or service that addresses or targets children shall not – (a) be such as to develop negative body image in children; (b) give any impression that such goods, products or services are better than the natural or traditional food that children may be consuming.”
“Under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, “misleading advertisement falsely describes a product or service; or gives a false guarantee to, or is likely to mislead the consumers as to the nature, substance, quantity or quality of a product or service; or conveys an express or implied representation, which, if made by the manufacturer or seller or service provider thereof, would constitute an unfair trade practice; or deliberately conceals important information”.
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