From 1 January, commercials airing during TV programmes targeting children aged three to 13 years will be limited to 10 minutes per hour.
In addition, there will be two minutes for educational spots on snack consumption developed by the authorities.
In addition, there will be two minutes for educational spots on snack consumption developed by the authorities.
Brands can place no more than four advertising spots per hour, or two in 30 minutes. These ads are also prohibited from using celebrities or cartoon characters to endorse their brands and all snack ads must carry warning notices.
To ease the transition, there will be a trial period between September to November of this year.
According to Witawat Jayapani, president of the Thai 4As, the rules will not be drafted into law as the community - including agencies, TV stations, content producers and advertisers - has agreed to regulate itself.
“The rules are sound and fair, as we need to protect the children’s welfare as early as possible,” said Witawat, also chief executive of Creative Juice\ G1.
The move comes two months after Malaysia passed a law prohibiting fast food companies from sponsoring children’s programmes (Media, 27 June).