A law has come into force in the UK that bans the online advertising of unhealthy food and restricts it on television. The new measures fulfill the government’s promise to “help parents raise the healthiest generation of children in history.”
According to the innovations, advertising for “less healthy food” will be allowed on television only after 9 p.m. In the British segment of the Internet, the display of such ads and commercials is completely banned.
The restrictions apply to 13 categories of products with a high content of sugar, fat, and salt. In particular, these are sugary drinks, chips, salty crackers and cookies, corn flakes and other “ready-made” breakfasts with sugar, popcorn, chocolate, chewing gum, ice cream, pastries with sugar, and pizza.
Manufacturers of “junk food” in the UK will still be allowed to advertise their brand during “children’s time” on TV and the Internet, as long as the product is not directly shown in the ad. Most local companies have already begun to comply with the new regulations.
The British government cites statistics that show the scale of obesity among children. For example, 22.1% of children are overweight or obese when they start primary school. By the time they graduate, this figure rises to 35.8%. It is stated that tooth decay is the main reason children aged 5 to 9 see a doctor.
The authorities cite research that shows that advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping their preferences from an early age and increasing the risk of obesity and related diseases. The government believes the new measures will reduce children’s calorie intake by 7.2 billion a year and reduce the number of children who are obese by 20,000.
In the long term, the new rules should save around £2 billion through overall improvements in public health.