TfL Social Media Advert Banned Over Racial Stereotype Concerns

A Transport for London (TfL) social media advert has been banned after the UK’s advertising regulator ruled it reinforced negative stereotypes about black males.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found the Facebook clip “irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.”

The advert, part of TfL’s Act Like a Friend campaign, aimed to encourage passengers to safely intervene if they witnessed sexual harassment or hate crime on the transport network. In the contested version, a black teenage boy verbally harassed a white girl on a bus, while another white teenage boy sat nearby, boxing her in.

The ASA was alerted by a viewer who said the advert perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes about black boys. Although TfL argued that both teenagers were intimidating the victim, the ASA concluded that “the only aggressor in the ad was the black teenage boy,” as the white boy was not shown as actively threatening her.

The social media version of the advert was one of three short clips derived from a two-minute film. Other versions depicted white males committing hate crimes against a black woman and another white male. TfL told the ASA that most Facebook users would likely have seen a mix of the three clips, estimating a 2% chance that someone would only see the complained-about version. The ASA, however, noted that viewers could see the clip in isolation, potentially reinforcing the stereotype.

In its ruling, the ASA said: “When viewed alone, the advert had the effect of perpetuating a negative racial stereotype and was therefore irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.” It ordered TfL to remove the clip from its campaign and to avoid using harmful stereotypes in future adverts.

A TfL spokesperson said: “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. 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.”

The full campaign ran a week earlier across cinemas, ITVX, and the transport network with posters and other social media content, showing a broader mix of ethnicities.