We have used new monitoring technology in the form of child 'avatars' - online profiles which simulate children's browsing activity - to identify ads that children see online. As a consequence, we have already taken action to ban ads from five gambling operators which were served to child avatars on children's websites in clear breach of the UK Advertising Codes.
We worked with an expert data and analytics firm to create seven online avatars. Their profiles were designed to reflect the browsing characteristics of children aged 6-7, 8-12 and 16, an adult, a person of an indeterminate age, and a profile reflecting the browsing behaviour of an adult and a child using the same device.