Children's Advertising Clearance

Ad Standards' Children’s Clearance Committee is charged with the important responsibility of reviewing and approving children’s broadcast advertising messages to ensure compliance with the provisions of The Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children (Children’s Code) All children’s commercials must be approved by the Children’s Committee and carry a valid Ad Standards approval number prior to broadcast.

The Children's Code, published by Ad Standards, was developed to guide advertisers and advertising agencies to prepare commercial messages that recognize and respect the special characteristics of the children’s audience. The Children's Code is endorsed by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

The Children’s Clearance Committee includes industry and public representatives, meets every other week to review and approve finished commercials. Each approved commercial is assigned an approval number, valid for one year. This number signifies to broadcasters that the commercial has been approved.