Madam, - The advertising industry has reacted predictably to the BCI's proposed restrictions on child-targeted advertising. Its response reminds us of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that characterised the vintners' response to the proposed ban on smoking in the workplace.
The irony is that many of the modest regulations being proposed are not a million miles from the advertising lobby's own "self-regulation".
A particular concern of the advertisers/broadcasters is the fear that they will be placed at a competitive disadvantage against non-regulated competitors such as Sky and UTV which beam material into the Republic.
May we invite them to respond positively to these issues? Instead of complaining about the proposed rules, why not seek to have these changes introduced throughout the EU? This would satisfy both advertisers and those of us concerned with the damaging effects of child-targeted marketing.
Instead of affording protection to some children, as the BCI proposes, or dispensing with protection for any children, as the advertisers in practice seem to advocate, let us seek to protect all children. Let's have a level playing-field, but let's achieve it by levelling up, not down. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN MacGABHANN, Spokesperson, STAC (Stop TV Advertising to Children),
Béal an Daingin, Co Galway.