The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced a comprehensive crackdown on advertisements featuring degrading representations of women in mobile gaming applications.

This initiative addresses concerns raised by a recent investigation which identified eight ads incorporating harmful stereotypes where women were depicted as sexual objects, included implications of non-consensual sexual encounters, and employed pornographic tropes.

The findings emerge amid escalating societal concerns regarding misogyny and violence against women and girls.

Over the past two years, the ASA upheld 11 complaints related to in-app advertisements that objectified women or potentially condoned violence against them.

In conjunction with the investigation, a separate survey conducted by the ASA reported that 45% of respondents expressed concern over advertisements portraying idealized body images of women.

Additionally, 44% of participants voiced worries about the objectification of women and girls in advertising content.

Such findings underline a growing recognition of the potential lasting negative impact that these portrayals may have on the self-image of women and girls.

The ASA has emphasized the need for all stakeholders in digital advertising—including advertisers, game developers, and digital platforms—to assume responsibility for preventing harmful content from being disseminated.

Jessica Tye, the regulatory projects manager at the ASA, remarked on the need for accountability, stating, "We know that seeing harmful portrayals of women can have lasting effects, especially on younger audiences."

The ASA acknowledged that while many advertisers are adhering to ethical standards, there remains a minority that fails to do so.

The authority aims to set a clear precedent: there is no tolerance for harmful advertisements in mobile gaming or any other platform.