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stego-tech12/08/20244 repliesview on HN

I think a fair and reasonable advertisement policy is to ban all advertisements during "children's programming hours", or 0800 to 1600 when school is not in session. During "Prime Time" hours of 0500-0800 and 1600-2300, adverts should be limited to luxury goods (e.g., fashion), government PSAs, and non-addictive goods or services (NO drugs, NO tobacco, NO gambling, and NO stock trading, to name but a few). Between 2300 and 0400, allow "free reign" on subscription channels but still bar "vice" or addiction ads.

We've got a century of data showing laissez-faire approaches to advertising results in maximum harm to a society, and ample recent data from the internet age showing how dark patterns in psychology are exploited by advertisers to drive outcomes.

We have to do better, and the UK's step is at least an attempt to stem the harm. I can't fault entities from at least trying to do better.


Replies

chgs12/08/2024

Daytime tv is all about brainwashing wealthy retired people.

Still not as bad as those weird country which advertise prescription medicine

alexchamberlain12/08/2024

I wonder what proportion of children are still watching mainstream TV? My son (4) mainly watches Disney+ and Netflix.

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lmm12/09/2024

Children are the people least able to destroy their own lives through spending, so that feels pretty backwards. I think it's generally accepted that people who grow up around e.g. alcohol tend to have a healthier relationship with it than people who are suddenly exposed to it as an adult.

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BehindBlueEyes12/09/2024

Add to your list to ban medical advertisement to the vice and addiction bar.

Do you feel like your knee itches sometime? You may have BSitis, ask your doctor if our product is right for you...

Replace all these with a generic, if you feel sick, go see a doctor, that's what they are for if needed.