“Dangerous” Dairylea advert banned after parents complain

Many people felt the ad encouraged dangerous behaviour.

A "dangerous" Dairylea advert has been banned after multiple parents complained. They feared the ad would have a damaging impact on children who viewed it. In the video, two girls are hanging upside down on a goal post. One of the girls has a Dairylea cheese triangle in her hand. The girl consumes the cheese when she is hanging upside down, but parents were less than impressed by the ad. Parents were concerned children would attempt to eat the food whilst hanging upside down. Their concerns were raised and the Advertising Standards Agency banned the ad. The ASA feared the ad would promote "unsafe practises" especially in younger children. It stated, "We considered that the ad condoned and encouraged younger children to eat whilst hanging upside down, which was an unsafe practice where there was potentially a high risk of choking. “We also noted that one complainant had reported that their three-year-old relative, after seeing the ad, ate their food whilst hanging upside down.” Mondelez, who owns Dairylea is said to be disappointed by the decision. They stressed that the ad was aimed at adults and not children. They also said the advert was mostly shown during hours that do not appeal to young viewers. Their spokesperson said the ad will now be removed. "We recognise and will abide by the ASA's decision but we are disappointed by the ruling. "It was aimed at adults (parents) rather than young children. It was deliberately scheduled away from programming likely to appeal to children under 16. "As such, we believe it was unlikely to encourage 'copycat' behaviour by young children," they added. "We remain committed to responsible advertising and work with a range of partners to make sure our marketing meets and complies with all relevant UK regulations."