Children exposed to stealth marketing on the internet

CHILDREN are vulnerable to stealth marketing techniques used on many popular websites, according to a study.

A snapshot survey of 40 sites revealed examples of data protection and marketing rules being flouted.

Some of them used hidden persuasion techniques which children could not easily identify, the National Consumer Council and Childnet International report says.

Researchers who looked at only two web pages for each of the 40 sites found 211 marketing messages. Most of these were selling or promoting something, or instilling "brand buzz".

Some 95 per cent of the sites contained some sort of commercial activity, ranging from marketing and advertising to selling goods and services.

The majority of websites and adverts requested some personal data from users, while five advertisers encouraged children to give away their friends' details or to send the firms information in return for free offers.