What happens with adverts?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) states that adverts should be:

• legal, decent, honest and truthful

• prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society

• in line with the principles of fair competition generally accepted in business.

The ASA, started in 1962, has the job of making sure that the public are not misled or offended by advertisements.

The ASA is not part of the Government or the advertising industry.

Television adverts are looked after by the Independent Television Commission and radio adverts by the Radio Authority.