Paediatricians have welcomed plans announced today to ban the advertising of unhealthy foods to children.
The ban applies to foods high in salt, sugar and fat and was announced today by Committee of Advertising Practice.
The rules will apply to print, cinema, on-line and in social media. The same rules already apply to broadcasting.
The committee says the rules apply to advertising targeted at under-16s. This includes media where children make up more than 25% of the audience.
Advertisers are also banned from using advertising campaigns with characters and celebrities popular with children.
The President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Professor Neena Modi, welcomed the news but called for further steps.
She said: "This is another positive step forward in the fight to tackle the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in children, and the damaging health effects of junk food and fizzy drinks.
“Children are influenced a great deal by advertising. There are shows which are not specifically targeted at children, that draw in thousands of children every week, and often have fast food adverts shown multiple times over the course of the broadcast."
She added: "With over a fifth of children in the UK overweight or obese when they start primary school and a third by the time they reach year six, surely it is time for Government to strengthen rules around all advertising, and in particular ban the advertising of foods high in salt, sugar and fat on television before the 9pm watershed.”
Committee chairman James Best said: “Childhood obesity is a serious and complex issue and one that we’re determined to play our part in tackling. These restrictions will significantly reduce the number of ads for high, fat, salt or sugar products seen by children.
"Our tough new rules are a clear demonstration that the ad industry is willing and ready to act on its responsibilities and puts the protection of children at the heart of its work.”
Leave a Reply