The peak body for Australian advertisers has beefed up a key industry code in an attempt to stop the promotion of hazardous products such as vapes and caffeinated drinks in ads targeted at children.

On Thursday, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) chief executive Josh Faulks revealed the latest version of the Children’s Advertising Code, which included tightened restrictions on mass communication with a demographic he said was vulnerable.

“The code is no longer limited to advertising for children’s products and will provide critical protections around any advertising directed at children,” he said.

He said the new code banned advertisers from directing ads for hazardous products including vapes, kava and highly caffeinated drinks towards children. It also banned the encouragement of “unsafe practices” such as bullying or promoting an unhealthy body image, and the use of sexual appeal or imagery when communicating with children.

The code, which is set to come into effect in December, also targets influencers, including the rise of “kidfluencers” – children who have gained a considerable online following by creating child-centred content on social media.

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Faulks said the new code went beyond Australian Consumer Law, recognising the subtle, embedded nature of influencer advertising directed at children.

“It must now be immediately clear to a child that they are interacting with advertising content,” he said, noting research showed influencer advertising lowered children’s ability to recognise content as advertising.

AANA’s codes are not legally binding and exist as part of industry self-regulation, meaning that instead of government regulation, the industry has agreed to the standards it will meet.