Debt: Not In Front of the Children Petition

Debt adverts on childrens' television channels, especially for secured loans, are a disgrace. The TV channels responsible should immediately stop showing them.

What's this all about?

A raft of childrens' TV channels carry adverts for high-interest loans, aimed at families that find it hard to get cheaper credit.  These have created a disgraceful new form of pester power with the children that watch them repeating them parrot-fashion.

The aim of this campaign is to get specialist childrens' TV channels such as Nickelodeon, Boomerang and Jetix and others to agree to stop showing these adverts.  By showing such adverts they normalise the idea of these extreme debts and the impression lasts.

 
The stats

To test out the impact of the ads, over 1,000 users of this site were polled.  The results showed a shockingly high number of parents are being badgered by their children to take out loans with companies such as Ocean Finance and Norton Finance.

These companies provide secured loans, which are the very worst form of debt as the lender can forcibly sell the borrower's house if they are unable to repay monies owed.

 


Of the respondents who were parents:

•   One in three (32%) have heard their child repeating slogans from debt adverts

•   Eleven per cent admitted that their child had suggested they take out financing of this type

•   Fifteen per cent have discussed the adverts with their child

•   Just one in ten (11%) said their child had never seen the adverts

•   Only one in five (21%) felt their child was unaffected by watching the adverts.

 
The fact that one in ten of the parents we polled have heard their child suggest they take out a loan is absolutely shocking. Some children respond to a parent's refusal to buy something by quoting a slogan or telephone number from a TV loan advert, to persuade them to borrow.

A quote from one mother:

"My partner's wants to buy a car. My eldest son (age 8) pipes up 'go to Yes Car Credit, as anyone can get a car off them'.

"I said 'oh yes, and what exactly should we use to pay them back' and he said "don't worry, they make sure it's an affordable monthly payment".

By putting these adverts on childrens' TV channels we're placing ever more financial pressure on parents and we're educating children into debt.  This is a national disgrace and quite simply it shouldn't be allowed.

Exposing children to loan adverts without warning of the consequences of debt, is particularly reprehensible considering the growing amount of outstanding debt in the UK.

 

The following are the initial actions of the campaign:

• Petition.
  
  A UK-wide online petition to show the strength of feeling on such an issue and provide a basis for further lobbying if the Channels fail to agree.

• Letter to Chief Execs.
  
  I've written an open letter to the Chief Executives of all the relevant children's TV Channels, asking them to immediately cease showing these ads.

• Early Day Motion.
  
  Rob Flello MP has written an Early Day Motion to Parliament to support this campaign.  An Early Day Motion is a bit like a parliamentary petition; it doesn't change the law, but it means there's a public political statement of support.

• Publicity.
  
  A full publicity campaign to try and generate coverage of this issue and increase support for the petition.

What happens next?

We wait for the reaction of the Channels.  This isn't about legislation, it's about asking them to do what's right, be responsible broadcasters, look after their viewers.

Yet if they fail to act, the campaign will escalate, including in the extreme, the possibility of calling for and publicising a boycott of these channels and their advertisers.

However it is my great hope this won't be necessary.  These channels do hopefully have their viewers' best interests at heart.

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