Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kid’s health

Kids will be protected from exposure to junk food advertising on TV and online as new regulations come into force to help tackle childhood obesity.

From today, the government has announced, adverts for less healthy food and drinks will be banned on television before 9pm, and online at all times.

This decisive and world-leading action by this government is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around £2 billion in health benefits over time.

Evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. The ban targets the media children and young people use most at the times they use it.

At the start of primary school, 22.1% of children in England are living with overweight or obesity and this rises to 35.8% by the time they leave. Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children (typically ages 5-9) in the UK.

Minister for Health, Ashley Dalton said: “We promised to do everything we can to give every child the best and healthiest start in life. By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods - making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children. We’re moving the dial from having the NHS treat sickness, to preventing it so people can lead healthier lives and so it can be there for us when we need it.”

Thoughts on the ban? And how easily will it be to implement an online ad ban? Any other views, send them across.