New regulations come into force yesterday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a “world-leading action” to tackle childhood obesity.
The ban — targeting ads for products high in fat, salt or sugar — is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, the British Department of Health and Social Care said.
Impacting ads airing before the 9pm watershed and anytime online, it would reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver about ￡2 billion (US$2.7 billion) in health benefits, the department added.
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The implementation of the measure — first announced in December 2024 — follows other steps, including an extended sugar tax on prepackaged items such as milkshakes, ready-to-go coffees and sweetened yoghurt drinks.
Local authorities have also been given the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.
The British government argues evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age, and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. It said 22 percent of children starting primary school in England — typically aged about 5 — are overweight or obese, rising to more than one-third by the time they progress to secondary school aged 11.
Tooth decay is the leading cause of British hospital admissions for young children, typically aged 5 to 9, officials said.
“By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods,” British Undersecretary of State for Public Health and Prevention Ashley Dalton said in a statement.
The move was part of a strategy to make the state-funded National Health Service focus on preventing as well as treating sickness, “so people can lead healthier lives,” she said.
Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said it was “a welcome and long-awaited step towards better protecting children from unhealthy food and drink advertising that can harm their health and well-being.”
The charity Diabetes UK also welcomed the ban, with chief executive Colette Marshall saying that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in young people.
“Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and the condition can lead to more severe consequences in young people — leaving them at risk of serious complications like kidney failure and heart disease,” she said.
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