A Study on TV Advertising Laws for Children in Iran

In many countries, including Iran, regulations and laws are determined to protect children from harmful effects of media content. The present study focuses on the laws that have been passed regarding the content and distribution of television advertisements for children in Iran. The purpose of this study is to identify the rules of advertising in television programs for children aged 6 to 12 and to analyze the status of children's rights on Iranian television. Documentary and library methods were used for this research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 experts in the field of children and media to analyze the status of restrictions on advertising in television programs, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings showed that those in charge have addressed issues such as the rights of the child audience, the standardization of advertising for children, and restrictive laws governing the distribution of advertisements and the production of content for children and adolescents. These rules and regulations are classified into two categories: Texts that have an executive guarantor and deal briefly and comprehensively with the issue of children's rights, such as the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and texts that reasonably discuss laws restricting advertising in children-specific programs and the rights of children and young audiences, but unlike in other countries, are not enforceable.