UK begins ban on junk food ads on daytime TV and online

LONDON: New regulations come into effect Monday in Britain banning daily TV and online ads for so-called junk food, in what the government calls a “world-leading move” 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, according to the health ministry.

The ads, shown before 9 p.m. and anytime online, would reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and bring about 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in health benefits, the ministry added.

The implementation of the measure – first announced in December 2024 – follows other recent steps, including an expanded sugar tax on prepackaged items such as milkshakes, instant coffees and sweetened yogurt drinks.

Local authorities have also been given the power to prevent fast food outlets from setting up outside schools.

The government says evidence 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.

It notes that 22% of children starting primary school in England – usually aged around five – are overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they move on to secondary school at age 11.

Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the UK for young children, usually aged five to nine, according to officials.

“By limiting junk food ads before 9pm and banning paid ads online, we can remove excess exposure to unhealthy food,” Health Secretary Ashley Dalton said in a statement.

He added that the move was part of a strategy to focus the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) on preventing as well as treating disease, “so people can live healthier lives”.

Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said it was “a welcome and long-awaited step to better protect children from unhealthy food and drink advertising that can harm their health and wellbeing”.

The charity Diabetes UK also welcomed the ad ban, with its chief executive Colette Marshall noting 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 serious consequences in young people – putting them at risk of serious complications such as kidney failure and heart disease,” he added.