Parents Complain to ASA After Kids See Horror Ad on YouTube

Three parents filed complaints against YouTube after their children had inadvertently watched an ad for a horror movie called Insidious: The Last Key, which is rated 15 in the UK.

It is said that the ad was shown before videos of songs from Frozen, a Lego fire station instructional, and a clip from PJ Masks. The parents said that the kids witnessed scenes where a young woman was seen “lying on a floor immobile, bloodied and distressed while a humanoid creature crept towards her and then probed at her with claw-like fingers and pierced her skin”.

YouTube clarified that the ads were not on YouTube Kids, and that advertisers were responsible for their own campaigns. However, the ASA ruled that the ads were unsuitable for children and were likely to cause distress and fear, and instructed Sony Pictures to ensure in the future that their ads are targeted appropriately.

Source: BBC