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New advertising rules to help tackle childhood obesity
The government has claimed that the health of children across the UK will be improved as new restrictions will mean they are less exposed to advertising of unhealthy foods.
Following a public consultation, regulations will come into force at the end of next year to introduce a 9pm watershed for advertisements of foods high in fat, salt and sugar. Applying to TV and UK on-demand programmes, the restrictions will also be put in place for paid-for advertising of HFSS foods online as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to tackle unhealthy eating habits at source.
Online restrictions will be limited to paid-for advertising, ensuring brands can continue to advertise within ‘owned media’ spaces online; such as a brand’s own blog, website, app or social media page.
The watershed will apply from 9pm to 5.30am, meaning HFSS adverts can only be shown during these times. A total of 79 per cent of public consultation respondents supported a 9pm watershed on TV while 74 per cent agreed with the introduction of further HFSS advertising restrictions online.
It is hoped that the TV and online restrictions could remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets per year in the UK which, over the coming years, could reduce the number of obese children by more than 20,000. One in three children currently leave primary school overweight or obese, with obesity-related illnesses costing the NHS £6 billion a year.
Public Health Minister Jo Churchill said: “We are committed to improving the health of our children and tackling obesity. The content youngsters see can have an impact on the choices they make and habits they form. With children spending more time online it is vital we act to protect them from unhealthy advertising.
“These measures form another key part of our strategy to get the nation fitter and healthier by giving them the chance to make more informed decisions when it comes to food. We need to take urgent action to level up health inequalities. This action on advertising will help to wipe billions off the national calorie count and give our children a fair chance of a healthy lifestyle.”
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