Calls for stricter oversight of ‘wild west’ YouTube adverts as new data shows its content is the most popular first TV choice for children

The Liberal Democrats have called for advertising on YouTube to be subjected to the same oversight as traditional media, after new data from regulator Ofcom show it is now the most popular TV destination for children in the UK.

Ofcom says members of Generation Alpha, or children aged between 0 and 14, are more likely to choose YouTube than traditional TV channels, as 20 percent head straight to the app when turning on their set.

“Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call when they pick up the remote,” comments Ed Leighton, Interim Group Director for Strategy and Research at Ofcom.

In response, the Liberal Democrats have called for advertising on the platform to be subjected to “much more stringent oversight”. 

Ending a ‘two-tier system’
The party wants to bring an end to what it calls a “two-tier system” in regulation, as YouTube adverts are not currently covered by the same Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) regulations as traditional TV and radio channels, which are covered by the Broadcast Code.

Advertising broadcast on most UK TV and radio stations has to be pre-approved by Clearcast or Radio Central, but this does not apply to online advertising, including ads shown on YouTube.

"It's clearly not right that a platform now more watched than almost any traditional broadcaster is still operating under a 'lighter touch' advertising regime,” comments Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport. “Regulations need to catch up with the reality of how people are watching content and unscrupulous advertisers must not be allowed to use loopholes to exploit people.

“We cannot allow a two-tier system where traditional broadcasters face robust scrutiny, while a digital giant like YouTube is allowed to mark its own homework. It's time for the regulator to treat YouTube adverts much more like TV and radio adverts, to protect UK consumers from misleading or harmful content. The Government needs to act now.”

An impractical solution?
Iona Silverman, Intellectual Property and Media Partner at law firm Freeths, agrees that advertising on YouTube should be regulated in the same way as other advertising. However she adds that the current process for clearing advertising via Clearcase or Radio Central does not mean that approved advertising complies with the ASA’s Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) and suggests the volume of advertising content on the platform may mean this is not a feasible solution.

“The ASA will still investigate any complaint received and can find – and indeed has found – cleared ads to be in breach of the rules,” Silverman explains. “These bodies do however provide a certain level of reassurance that a certain baseline is being met, whereas ads on YouTube are the unmonitored wild west of the advertising world.

“The ASA uses AI to crawl the net in search of potentially infringing ads, including YouTube ads. The difficulty is that there are far more ads on YouTube, with each video potentially showing a different ad, compared with on television. It would be impractical, though not impossible, to implement a clearing process for all online advertising.”