Advertising to Children in Malaysia – A Cause for Concern?
Author: Patrick Mirandah, Patrick Mirandah & Co.

This thought provoking subject matter would indefinitely unlock a plethora of issues that are related to advertising, and the concerns it has been generating. It is globally accepted that children these days have spending power. Potentially the market for promoting products to children is huge. Therefore, it is not a surprise that much of the advertisements are aimed towards children.

Children in Malaysia spend an average of five to six hours a day watching some form of electronic media, and are exposed to a variety of advertisements. Despite the emergence of new innovative marketing approaches aimed at children, e.g. the Internet, television still remains by far the most predominant mode of advertising to them. It reaches them in their own homes. In practice, children are a captive audience, and observe all the advertisements associated with any programme they watch. This, however, has led to alarm bells ringing in that television advertising has been exploiting children. It has the potential to “seduce” children into craving the products that they do not need, much less having the money to spend. 

Advertising of food products poses the major concern. The Utusan Konsumer in November 2002 through its article, “Marketing and Advertising – Harmful to Children” highlighted advertising as one of the causes for the rise in obesity amongst children in Malaysia. The food industry nowadays links food with entertainment, especially with movie and animation characters. It is also common to promote food by using toys (like toy cars, helicopters and also soft toys) and “educational” games. The relentless onslaught of advertising for food products has contributed to unprecedented obesity in children seen during the past decade. Obesity is not the only health issue linked to the food industry. Increased exposure to “skinny images” in the media is correlated with increased dieting and body image problems in girls. Invariably, no risk messages accompany such advertisements. Despite the Malaysian Health Ministry’s persistent community messages, these problems have escalated to a “code red” level.

The Utusan Konsumer further added that violent acts shown in the media, as well as “violent toys” linked to cartoons or products have led children to imitate what they see. Another classic scenario was when Cahayasuara, the communications centre of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, made a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards to the Malaysian Authority regarding an advertisement by Citibank, where a child emulated his father shaving – complete with shaving cream and a razor blade! They felt that the advertisement ran foul of the Malaysian Code of Advertising Practice involving the use of children and therefore exposed them to potential harm.

Children are also inadvertently exposed to advertisements for health risk products, such as tobacco. Although advertisements of tobacco products have been largely curtailed by the passing of the Control ofTobacco Products Regulations 2004 in Malaysia, nevertheless advertisements at points of sale may be potentially harmful to the captive audience.

Efforts have been undertaken by the Malaysian government to address these issues. The Communications and Multimedia Forum of Content in Malaysia was established in 2001 to govern content and address content related issues disseminated by way of electronic networked medium. Through the Content Code, guidelines and procedures for good practice and standards of content have been set out, by the service providers in the communications and multimedia industry. This is also a commitment towards compliance with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. It’s objective is to seek and identify offensive and objectionable content while spelling out the obligations of content providers within the context of social norms in Malaysia. Part 3 of the Code, particularly paragraph 7.2, makes specific provisions for advertising and children. Clear illustrations are provided to avoid ambiguous interpretation of its form and substance, e.g. illustration which provides that medicines, disinfectants, antiseptics, caustic substances, pesticides and all aerosol preparations must not be shown within the reach of children without close parental supervision. Neither can children be shown using them without supervision.

Whether such a measure is adequate enough to weave out the negative effects of advertising to children, however, remains to be seen. Efforts should probably be focused towards the grass root level itself, i.e. the domestic household. Emphasis should, perhaps, be placed on informing parents about the negative consequences brought about by advertisements and their potential implications on children.