Brazil’s Ministério Público Federal (MPF) has initiated a civil lawsuit against Google, as it considers that YouTube has broken legislation regarding advertising to children.
The MPF intends to compel YouTube to warn advertisers that advertising child-related products is not allowed in Brazil.Brazilian legislation forbids children under 12 to promote the purchase of products to other children.
“This happens specifically with this audience, as children are highly susceptible to any kind of emotional or subliminal suggestion, which are key aspects of these kind of merchandising ads,” stated Fernando de Almeida, public attorney. “Children are not mature enough to tell the difference between fantasy and reality or to resist consumer impulses.”
This is not the first time Google has received a warning from the Brazilian authorities regarding children and advertising. According to the MPF, the company continues to ignore the legislation as this kind of civil lawsuit doesn’t involve a monetary fine.
Therefore, the MPF intends to include some kind of fining process in future.
Google alleges that there is no specific regulation in Brazil about this topic and that it’s parents’ responsibility to decide what children can or cannot watch on YouTube.
