Channel Nine Australia attempted to 'hypnotise viewers'

The communications watchdog has found Channel Nine breached the TV Code of Practice in a stunt that aimed to hypnotise viewers.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that the segment broadcast on the program, A Current Affair, in September last year was designed to induce a hypnotic state in viewers.

During the segment, entitled Think Slim, references were made by the program's host, the reporter and a hypnotherapist to the fact that the story would feature a demonstration of a hypnotic process designed to help with weight loss.

The segment culminated with a brief hypnotherapy session that lasted for about one minute.

The Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (2004) states that a licensee may not broadcast a program designed to induce a hypnotic state in viewers.

The watchdog also found that Channel Nine breached the code by failing to provide a substantive written response to someone who complained about the segment.

[ABC News Austrailia]