The IAB should consider taking up the regulations used by the Advertising Standards Authority with regard to advertising to children.  There are strict guidelines about timing, content and approach styles and these would be a sensible approach.  The regulations that apply to radio stations are even more stringent because it's a one dimensional medium that prompts more use of the imagination and unlike other media cannot add images to help inform and persuade.

MSN gain from their advertisers and I am absolutely sure they would be able to police the approaches.  Radio, press and television channels do this quite well without breaches, so it should not be impossible for MSN to follow suit or for the IAB to adopt these standards.

As with any international medium, MSN to comply with the law of the land in which they operate, so if a service was to be delivered into UK via international sites, we might not have the full protection we need.  MSN however, should comply country by country with that nation's legislatiion if they were to be seen to be trading ethically, which, for the main part, I am sure they are.

They need to pick up on this one quickly as the Internet is consumed as a solus activity and we need to ensure that our children are not exposed to inappropriate advertising and messages in what is primarily a young-target focus environment.

My son is at university now, but my neices jump onto our computer at home and use the MSN service and I am alarmed that they should be exposed to this kind of advertising. 

janeyp