MAM
Education sector ads come under ASCI scanner
MUMBAI: The recent introduction of guidelines for the education sector advertisements by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) seems to have made an impact among the masses.
As per ASCI, the apex self-regulatory body for advertising content of the Indian advertising industry, the number of complaints against education institutions’ ads has gone up.
Out of total 12 complaints received, six were against ads of education institutes and the rest from FMCG, travel, realty and appliances companies in the month, ASCI said in a statement.
Complaints against three advertisements of Career Launcher India were upheld as ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) found that their claims could not be substantiated. The complaints pertained to claims of highest success rate, number of students taking tests, and being the most successful trainer in Mumbai. The company could not substantiate any of the claims with data and hence, the CCC asked for the ads to be withdrawn which was done.
In a similar case, ads by Time Institute were asked to be withdrawn as the institute did not substantiate its claim of being no 1 institute for GMAT at the time. A claim by Education Matters on its website about its association with the British Deputy High Commission was unsubstantiated and hence it was directed to withdraw the claim from its website.
ASCI Secretary General Alan Collaco said, “The recent introduction of education sector guidelines seems to be showing visible effects. The guidelines were much debated and well received by industry and citizens alike. Over 50 per cent of the complaints this time around were against educational institutes. The growing awareness and increased complaints is a good sign for the self regulated ad content guidelines of ASCI in India.”
Among other ads, the TVC of Colgate Sensitive toothpaste was found to be misleading from the aspect of its visual showing “other” toothpastes having only one out of four dentists’ recommending them when the figure was actually more. The company was asked to modify this aspect of the TVC. However, the company was able to substantiate its claims of “relief from pain for sensitive teeth” and “3 out of every 4 dentists recommend Colgate Sensitive” with supporting data. Colgate-Palmolive has assured appropriate modification of the TVC.
The implication that Dabur Pudin Hara’s does not contain any chemicals was found to be misleading by ASCI. The ad was instructed by the CCC to be modified appropriately. On the other hand, the company could successfully substantiate the claim of “relief from pain and acidity” with supporting data.
In a case of comparative advertising, an icecream brand of Supreme Food Industries – MeriiBoy Ice Cream – was found to be misleading the consumers by claiming that the contents of competitor’s products were artificial. The CCC found the comparison between MeriiBoy Icecream and Medium Fat Frozen Dessert as unfair and misleading.
As per the CCC decision, the leaflets were withdrawn from the market and website content modified by the advertiser. The complaint against Nirali Appliances of claiming savings on electricity and several power related claims was found to be unsubstantiated by any proper or relevant authority on energy. Upon CCC’s ruling, the advertiser assured that such claims will not be repeated in leaflets and on the website.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
