Ad description
A TV ad and website for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children:
a. The website www.nspcc.org.uk, seen on 11 November 2017, featured an image of a young girl with text that stated “1 in 20 children experience sexual abuse”.
b. The TV ad, seen on 11 January 2018 featured a school teacher and a young girl playing netball and featured dialogue between the two characters: “Something’s happening. Something’s happening. Something bad. Something bad. I’m too afraid to say anything. Too afraid to say anything. I know I’ve got to be brave. I know I’ve got to be brave. It’s hard. It’s hard. Talk to me. Talk to me”.
Towards the end of the ad, on-screen text appeared, which stated “1 in 20 children experience sexual abuse”.
Issue
Three complainants challenged whether the claim “1 in 20 children experience sexual abuse” was misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said that the “1 in 20” statistic was based on an NSPCC study – "Child abuse and neglect in the UK today", Radford et al (2011) – which involved 2,275 young people aged between11 and 17 years. The study found that 4.8% of 11- to 17-year-olds reported contact sexual abuse, as defined by criminal law, at some point in their childhood. Furthermore, 11.3% of 18- to 24-year-olds had reported experiencing contact sexual abuse over the course of their childhood.
The NSPCC said that although the study was conducted in 2009 and published in 2011, it was still the most recent reflection of the prevalence of child sexual abuse.
Clearcast provided a response they had received from the advertising agency and cited the NSPCC study in support of the claim.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA considered that viewers would interpret the claim “1 in 20 children experience sexual abuse” to mean that research had shown that around 1 in 20 children had experienced sexual abuse.
We understood that the claim was based on the NSPCC’s “Child abuse and neglect in the UK today” study, which surveyed: 2,160 parents or guardians of children and young people under 11 years of age; 2,275 young people between the ages of 11 and 17, with additional information provided by their parents or guardians; and 1,761 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
The study was published in 2011 and was based on data that had been obtained from a survey in 2009. Although the data was now nearly ten years old, we understood that it remained the most extensive piece of UK-wide research regarding the prevalence of child abuse in the UK.
We acknowledged the ethical difficulties of obtaining information about sexual abuse from young children, who we considered might not comprehend what that involved, and noted that the study data for young people aged under 11 was obtained from parents or guardians. We also noted that the study data most relevant to the claim showed that 4.8% of 11- to 17-year-olds responded to the survey saying that they had experienced contact sexual abuse, as defined by criminal law, at some time in their life, in-line with the 1 in 20 statistic quoted in the ad. Furthermore, the survey found 11.3% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported having experienced contact sexual abuse before they were 18.
Because the most recent relevant evidence indicated that around 1 in 20 children experience sexual abuse, we concluded that the claim was unlikely to mislead viewers.
We investigated ad (a) under CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Advertisements must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation), but did not find it in breach.
We investigated ad (b) under BCAP Code rules 3.1 3.1 Advertisements must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising) and 3.9 3.9 Broadcasters must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that the audience is likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
