Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has launched AdWise, a national consumer education programme designed to enhance advertising literacy among school children from Grades 3 to 8. Rolled out under the aegis of ASCI Academy, the initiative aims to reach 1 million students across 2,000 schools in India through structured classroom sessions by the end of 2026.
Since its September launch, AdWise has already reached over 1,14,000 students across seven states and 240 schools. The programme equips children with critical thinking skills to identify, question, and evaluate advertising messages in an increasingly digital world. Assessments before and after the sessions indicate significant improvements, with 59%-86% of Grades 3-5 and 57%-95% of Grades 6-8 students correctly answering questions on advertising literacy.
Speaking on the initiative, Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General of ASCI, said, “Children today are exposed to advertising in ways that are fundamentally different from previous generations. They don’t possess critical cognitive abilities to navigate advertising but they are increasingly being exposed online and in the real world to marketing messages in various forms. With children being an important focus of ASCI, we are equipping them, parents and teachers to critically analyse and understand advertising’s influence. Enabling children this way fosters responsible media consumption and creates an informed audience.”
The programme, featuring the tagline ‘Smart Kids. Smart Choices’, addresses a crucial gap in digital literacy education. While today’s children are digital natives, they often lack the awareness needed to navigate subtle and immersive advertising online and offline. AdWise is structured as one-hour interactive workshops for two groups:
- Grades 3-5: Understanding what ads are, their persuasive intent, how to distinguish ads from content, and thinking critically about the promises made.
- Grades 6-8: Exploring persuasive techniques, influencer ads, online safety, and case studies on marketing strategies.
The sessions incorporate gamified and facilitator-led materials, including presentation decks, handbooks, and videos. Parents are also provided tips and checklists to reinforce learning at home. Content is available in English, Hindi, and Marathi, with Tamil and Kannada versions in progress.
Following a successful pilot phase, AdWise is being implemented in cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Indore, Bhopal, Patna, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Kolkata. ASCI plans to expand further to Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Assam, and Karnataka while deepening penetration in existing markets.
Through this initiative, ASCI aims to empower children with the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate advertising and make informed choices in a media-saturated environment.
