Children will no longer be exposed to TV adverts for junk food products as new law confirms the final details of advertising restrictions. Ads on television will only be allowed past the 9pm watershed from October 2025 as part of plans to curb childhood obesity.
Fulfilling a key manifesto commitment for this government and supporting the pledge to give every child the best and healthiest start in life, the advertising restrictions will also include a ban on paid online junk food adverts to reduce children’s excessive exposure to many foods high in fat, sugar or salt and helping to address rising rates of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Guidance is also being published to provide more detail on which food or drink categories will be covered by the regulations - giving industry the final details needed to prepare for the regulations coming into force next year. 7.2 billion calories per year are expected to be removed from UK children’s diets as a result of the measures, preventing an estimated 20,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: "Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions. This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online.
"This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and towards meeting our government’s ambition to give every child a healthy, happy start to life."
NHS data shows a deeply concerning trend of rising childhood obesity. Almost one in 10 (9.2%) reception-aged children are now living with obesity and, by aged 5, one in 5 (23.7%) children have tooth decay because of excess sugar consumption.
With rates continuing to rise and without further action to address the causes of this trend, this generation of children could be set up for a lifetime of health complications as adults. By taking preventative action to tackle the causes of childhood obesity, the government will begin fixing the foundations of good health to protect the health of the next generation.
NHS National Medical Director Professor, Sir Stephen Powis, said: "NHS figures show that one in 8 toddlers and primary school children are obese, and this is clearly a problem not only because we know that it could lead to young people having health issues later in life, but it’s also storing up problems for a future NHS which already spends billions dealing with the issue.
"We’ve always said the NHS can play its part in supporting people who are obese to reach a healthier weight, but we need to work with the rest of society to prevent people becoming overweight in the first place. So we welcome this proposed legislation and look forward to working with the government and partners to help protect the good health of future generations."
Children with obesity are more likely to live with the condition as adults and are at significantly greater risk of life-limiting illnesses that deeply impact their quality of life and economic opportunities.
Obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer, costs the UK health service more than £11 billion each year, and is a major contributor to ill health that prevents people from participating fully in work. These restrictions will support the shift from treatment to prevention that will be a key focus of the 10 Year Health Plan, which the government is set to publish in spring 2025.
