The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Transport for London advert showing a black teenager verbally harassing a young woman on a bus after ruling it perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes, despite the campaign being based on true stories of harassment on the network.
The ASA concluded the social media clip reinforced negative associations between black males and threatening behaviour, stating: “Although we understood that TfL had intended to present a range of diversity and scenarios across their campaign, we considered the ad, when seen in isolation, had the effect of perpetuating a negative racial stereotype about black men as perpetrators of threatening behaviour.”
The watchdog added: “On that basis, we concluded that the ad featured a harmful stereotype, was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.”
The ban followed a complaint from just one viewer who said the advert was irresponsible, harmful and offensive due to how it portrayed black teenage boys. TfL had released the clip as part of its “Act Like a Friend” campaign encouraging people to intervene safely when witnessing sexual harassment or hate crime on the transport network.
The banned segment was one of three social media adverts cut down from a two-minute film. The other segments featured a white man being racist to a black woman and a white man calling another white man gay. All three were shown in cinemas and on ITVX when the campaign launched in October last year for National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
The ASA noted that whilst a white male also appeared in the banned advert, he was not seen “jointly intimidating the victim” and the only aggressor shown was the black teenager. The watchdog assessed whether the portrayal reinforced stereotypes, stating: “We understood there was a negative racial stereotype based on the association between black males, including teenagers, and threatening behaviour.”
TfL defended the campaign by stating it was trying to reflect “London’s diverse population” and that both characters in the segment displayed “offensive behaviour” toward the victim. The transport authority told the ASA it had used a “casting diversity tracker” to guarantee London’s population was represented across the campaign.
TfL estimated that a Facebook user would be served any combination of the three adverts three times, placing the odds of seeing only the banned segment at approximately two percent. However, the ASA ruled it was possible to view the advert in isolation, making the stereotype concerns valid.
When first launched, TfL stated the three segments were based on “three true stories of Londoners who have witnessed another passenger being targeted, and who have helped defuse the incident by engaging the targeted person in a conversation.” The full campaign focused on tackling sexual offences, harassment and violence against women and girls.
A TfL spokesman apologized following the ruling, stating: “Our aim is to ensure that our advertising reflects London’s diverse population and does not perpetuate any stereotypes, just as we ensure that our services are as fair, accessible and inclusive as possible.”
The spokesman added: “We’re sorry that this social media advert – a shortened version of the full two-minute advert that includes a diverse range of ethnicities – falls below our usual high standards when viewed in isolation.”
TfL confirmed it is no longer using the shortened advert but continues the broader “Act Like a Friend” campaign encouraging passengers to support others targeted by hate crime, sexual offences and harassment on the transport network. The ban applies only to the specific social media segment showing the black teenager, whilst other elements of the campaign remain active.
