The banning of junk food adverts between 5.30am and 9pm is expected to contribute to reducing childhood obesity in the UK where approximately 10% of 4-5-year-olds and approximately 20% of 10-11-year-olds are obese (Baker 2023).
The figures for obesity in children are concerning as they tend to go on to become obese adults (Barker et al. 2022) with an increased likelihood of developing diabetes, coronary heart disease and various types of cancer.
Junk food overlaps with unhealthy food and is perceived as food that is nutritiously poor and contains high levels of fats, sugar and salt. The ban covers several food categories including savoury snacks, confectionery, ice cream, pizza, breakfast cereals and ready meals.
Food companies spend millions of pounds on marketing their products, developing brands, and using celebrity/sports endorsements and licensed characters to appeal to children (Harris and Taillie 2024). Exposure to junk food advertising leads to children having a more positive attitude to junk food, a greater preference for junk food and increased calorie intake (Barker et al., 2022; Mytton et al., 2020) which can continue beyond childhood.
The Government expect a ban on junk food advertising to lead to 7.2 billion calories being removed from UK children’s diets and prevent 20,000 cases of childhood obesity (DHSC, 2024). It has also been suggested that the ban will reduce the number of 5-17-year-olds with obesity by 4.6% and the number who are overweight by 3.6%, with a greater reduction amongst the least affluent (Mytton et al. 2020).
The ban on junk food advertising will be a positive action, but the Government needs to consider advertisements on other entertainment sources including social media, apps, and games and collecting data from these sources for further marketing.