1st Jun 2018 - 09:25
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Abstract
Some 50% of food and drink television advertising seen by children is high in fat, salt or sugar, or is for restaurants and bars, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Since 2007, it has not been permitted to advertise unhealthy food and drink during children's TV programmes.
Evidence from Ofcom suggests that, in 2016, children spent 64% of their viewing time watching television shows outside children’s programming.
Health campaigners and leaders of all the main opposition parties have called for restrictions for these products to cover all pre-watershed advertising.
These restrictions would cover advertisements for restaurants and bars, if they featured the offending products.
The IFS data is based on figures for 2015. Up to 35% of the TV adverts for food and drink seen by children that year would have been affected, had restrictions applied before the watershed.
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