- Safety-by-Design: Embed safety-by-design in development and distribution of advertisement
- Responsible Practice: Comply with legal frameworks and conduct a Child Rights Impact Assessment
- Age Appropriate: Develop and place advertising that is age appropriate by design
- Agency: Support child users’ decision-making and reduce exploitative features and business models that harm their agency
- Privacy: Embed privacy-by-design and data protection in marketing development and distribution
- Diversity, Equality & Inclusion: Be inclusive, treat everyone fairly and provide for diverse needs and circumstances
Unlike legal frameworks, this document sets aspirations for organisations to work towards. When working with members, we support them on their journey towards conscious advertising rather than expecting immediate perfection.
Rani Govender, Policy and Regulatory Manager at NSPCC, said of the new manifesto:
“Advertisers have a crucial role to play in delivering positive experiences for children online. Through tailoring their decisions to children’s rights and needs and by prioritising brand safety, they can help create a safer online world for children.
The NSPCC welcomes the updated Children’s Wellbeing Manifesto. Its ambitious, child-centred framework will support advertisers to consistently consider children’s needs and embed practices that promote their safety and wellbeing. We look forward to seeing advertisers use the Manifesto to make positive changes for children and demonstrate their commitment to a safer online world.”
Yeo Joung Suh, CAN’s Policy and Campaigns Officer (Children’s Wellbeing) shared:
“I am very grateful to have completed the manifesto review. My sincere thanks go to all the individuals and organisations whose tremendous help made this possible. I had the privilege of meeting about 40 experts from various companies and organisations, and their insights provided a significant and invaluable learning experience.
The relaunch of the manifesto is just the beginning. Our goal is to ensure it is effectively utilised within the industry. We’ve updated it based on stakeholder feedback, but its value depends on active industry use. We are committed to promoting and ensuring the effective use of it within the advertising industry.”
CAN panel at MAD//Fest, with Jake Dubbins, Victoria Ryan, Alvin Hussey, Andy Burrows, and Catherine Russell
We were excited to announce the relaunch of the Children’s Rights and Wellbeing manifesto at MAD//Fest this year, where we hosted a panel titled “Everyone’s Web: detangling the internet for the next generation in ten steps.” CAN Co-Founder Jake Dubbins moderated the panel, and we were honoured to be joined by Andy Burrows (Public Policy Strategist – Molly Rose Foundation), Victoria Ryan (Content Partnerships Director at Initiative – on behalf of LEGO), Alvin Hussey (Senior Business Development Manager – SuperAwesome) and Catherine Russell (Head of Sustainable Business – Vodafone).
The panel focussed on highlighting the current issues for children using the internet, spotlighting industry case studies, and the urgency and importance of advertisers’ responsibility. The need for safety by design was a key takeaway from the panel, with Andy commenting: “We are talking about preventable harm. We need to get to a point where safety is baked in by design; where it’s not an afterthought.”
During the panel, Jake led a Deep Dive highlighting key elements of our Children’s Rights and Wellbeing manifesto and shared a checklist of actions for advertisers and agencies to take to ensure they are protecting children online. He closed with the powerful words: “It’s vital we join forces. Take this personally. These are our children, our families, our communities.”
Read our refreshed Children’s Rights and Wellbeing manifesto here.
