In Canada, there are rules for advertising to children. Except in Quebec, where all advertising to children under the age of 13 is prohibited under the Quebec Consumer Protection Act.
Advertisements in broadcast media, directed at children under 12 years of age, must follow a set of voluntary guidelines called the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children. The code does not pertain to ads broadcast on U.S channels. Compliance with the Code is a condition of licence for Canadian broadcasters.
All other types of advertisements aimed at children are covered by the general Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and Gender Portrayal Guidelines. Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) is the industry organization that administers all of these codes and deals with complaints from the public.
See the right sidebar for summaries and full text of the:
Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children
Canadian Code of Advertising Standards
Gender Portrayal Guidelines
For information on how to submit a complaint about an ad, see the Taking Action section.
