Advertising Directed At Children

It is unlawful for advertisements to include a direct exhortation to children to purchase – however, it is still unclear what this actually means in practice.

Number 28 of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive's black list

The annex of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC – "UCP-Directive") contains a list of commercial practices that are considered unfair in all circumstances (black list). Advertising directed at children is one of the most controversially discussed topics dealt within this list. According to N 28 of this annex, it is unlawful (because deemed aggressive) to include in an advertisement a direct exhortation to children to buy advertised products or to persuade their parents or other adults to buy advertised products for them.