Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld.
Ad description
An in-game ad for the mobile game app Tape Thrower, seen in the Belt It mobile app, on 29 March 2025. In low-detail, cartoon style animation, the ad featured a woman wearing only red heels and a facemask, standing on a catwalk with her hands on her hips. Her breasts and midsection were obscured by pixelation, although her belly button and the shape of her breasts were still visible. The tape thrower was directed towards her. Text in the caption below stated, “Tape Thrower” followed by “Throw and hit with duct tape!”.
Issue
The complainant, who believed the image was overly sexualised and objectified women, challenged whether the ad:
- was offensive, harmful and irresponsible; and
- had been irresponsibly targeted.
Response
Homa Games SAS t/a Homa Games said that the ad was for Tape Thrower, which had a PEGI 3 rating on Google Play and a 4+ rating on the Apple App Store. The game was designed in a light-hearted, comedic style inspired by the "prank" genre and was not intended to offend or reinforce gender stereotypes. The ad was placed through third-party advertising platforms, which managed its distribution, including its appearance within the Belt It app. They acknowledged the concerns and paused the campaign in the UK. They said that they were reviewing internal processes to ensure better ad compliance.
Assessment
1. & 2. Upheld
The ad, which was for the 'Tape Thrower' game and depicted various scenarios, including one where the players could throw duct tape to hit and cover a woman’s body, featured a nude woman whose face was obscured by a facemask, with pixelation obscuring her midsection and breasts. We considered she was therefore depicted in a manner that was sexually suggestive and made her body the central focus of the ad. The ad also presented her as a passive target in the game. We considered that the ad objectified and stereotyped the woman by presenting her as a passive, sexual object with the sole purpose of titillating viewers. We concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence and included a gender stereotype in a way that was likely to cause harm.
We understood the game was seen in the Belt It mobile app, a puzzle game which had an age rating of 4+ years and therefore could be downloaded by children. We considered that those playing an unrelated game would not expect to be served an ad which featured a naked woman, and considered the ad had been irresponsibly targeted.
Notwithstanding that, because we considered that this specific ad was likely to cause serious offence and included a gender stereotype in a way that was likely to cause harm, it was not suitable to be featured in any game.
We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and breached the Code.The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 (Social responsibility), 4.1 and 4.9 (Harm and offence).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Homa Games SAS to ensure that their ads were socially responsible and did not cause serious or widespread offence, including by featuring a harmful gender stereotype by objectifying and sexualising women. We also told them to ensure that their ads were responsibly targeted.
