Popular in-app game ad pulled over domestic abuse depiction

The Ad Standards Community Panel has upheld a complaint against an in-app ad for the mobile game Frost Valley. It ruled that the ad’s portrayal of a man’s treatment of a struggling mother would likely be seen as domestic and psychological abuse, which breaches the advertising code’s rules on violence.

Liteorange Creation PTE LTD placed the ad. 

The Panel’s determination followed one complaint that the ad showed domestic abuse. The advertiser has confirmed the ad has been removed and will no longer be served to Australian audiences.

The Panel found a breach of Section 2.3 of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics. That section states advertising “shall not present or portray violence unless it is justifiable in the context of the product or service advertised”. The Panel found no breach of any other section of the code.

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What the ad showed

The animated ad opens with a girl in tattered clothing asking her mother about an infant who is trying to drink from a dog. The mother, who looks sad, is holding a baby and a broom. She pulls the infant away. A man sitting on the couch, eating chicken, looks at her, kicks an empty can, and chuckles.

An animated hand then chooses between two options, “Leave” and “Endure”. Choosing “Leave” shows the mother and three children walking through a park at night, with the baby in a shopping trolley. 

In later scenes, the player cleans and paints the family’s room, and the family is shown laughing. The ad ends with other story scenarios from the game, a voiceover saying “Frost Valley. Play Now” and on-screen text reading “Unlock New Story Play Now”.

Why the Panel upheld the complaint

The Panel described the opening scene as a mother minding the children while a man, presumed to be the father, relaxed on the couch. It said the way he kicked the can and smirked showed he saw cleaning as the woman’s job and would not help, even though she was struggling.

The Panel noted that choosing “Leave” takes the family to a room with rats and broken windows, which the player then repairs. It accepted that the game appears designed to improve the situation of a mother who has left an abusive home.

The Panel found the man’s apparent disrespect and disregard for the mother and children would likely be seen as domestic and psychological abuse. It concluded the ad portrayed violence that was not justifiable.

The Panel also cited the code’s Practice Note. Under that note, any violence in an ad must be justifiable in the context of the product being advertised, even when it is relevant to the storyline.

The advertiser’s response

In its submission to the Panel, Liteorange Creation said the ad “does not show the player committing or being rewarded for abuse”.

The company acknowledged that the opening scene and the “Endure” option “may cause concern”. It said the opening scene “does not expressly depict financial control, although viewers may infer it”.

“We do not condone domestic abuse or suggest that victims are responsible for their circumstances,” the advertiser said.

The company said the ad did not present women or children as inferior or as deserving mistreatment, and that the later scenes showed the family improving unsafe living conditions. It said the game name, the “Install” prompt and the “Play Now” button identified the content as advertising. It asked the Panel to consider the full storyline and said it would “cooperate with its review”.

The case report does not include the advertiser's response to the final determination.