TV watchdog puts M rating on ad aimed at children

A TV campaign aimed at kids designed to make children talk about abuse has been banned from airing any earlier than 9pm - thereby missing the targets TV watching hours.

The offending ad showed a child hit by a car where nobody stopped to help, an alternative edit which cut the collision scene was also denied. Another ad in the campaign showed an empty play room and a voiceover is heard saying: "When a four-year-old girl was abused by her father, a police investigation was launched immediately." This was given an M rating by Free TV.

"The overall tone (means) an M rating may be warranted. The reference to abuse by a father is a stronger theme than just abuse itself," said Free TV Australia's commercials advice managing director Ruth Ward to the Heraldsun

However racier things air earlier than that, for example Channel 10's Law & Order Special Victims Unit, which airs at 8.30pm deals exclusively with sex abuse storylines, and just last week Channel ten promoted a "lesbian episode" of The OC, also screened at 8:30 pm, with promises of "girl-on-girl action"

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