New Advertisement Law prohibits children from advertising

Children under the age of 10 will be banned from participating in commercial advertising as of today. [Photo/Agencies]

As of today, children in China under the age of 10 are prohibited from participating in any commercial advertising. This is only one of several amendments that were added to the Advertisement Law of the Peoples Republic of China.

Zhang Guohua, director of Advertisement Supervision and Management of State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), said the provision was made since children are deemed incompetent to make their own decisions, and for them to endorse in commercial advertising violates the principle of authenticity in advertisement.

"More detailed regulations will be published later on. We will give further definitions on where to draw the line between performance and endorsement in commercials," said Zhang.

Other amendments passed under the new Advertisement Law were the lawful responsibilities of celebrities in advertisements. In the future, those who participate in false advertisements will be held responsible along with the producer of the false or inferior product.

"Celebrities are paid to endorse, and some of them receive considerable sums. They cannot just be paid without fulfilling their responsibilities," said a representative from SAIC.

Zhang advised stars and famous figures to exercise caution when signing advertisement contracts. Advertisers should not advertise products they have not used or serviced. If violated, advertisers will be subjected to administrative penalties and banned from advertising for three years.

According to the new Advertisement Law, if regulations are violated, SAIC will investigate the case, and if the case involves civil liabilities, stars will be held responsible for civil compensations.