Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Advertising Standards Authority moves to ban junk food adverts from online children's programmes

Under existing guidelines, junk food adverts are banned for television transmission of children's programmes, but not for online viewing of the same content

Siobhan Fenton
Sunday 13 March 2016 12:09 EDT
Comments
Children watch an animated cartoon
Children watch an animated cartoon (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Advertisements for junk food on online children’s programmes are set to be banned under new guidelines, it has been reported.

Currently, children’s programmes cannot be accompanied by adverts for unhealthy food when shown on television. However, the same adverts can be broadcast next to the same programmes if they are viewed online. The apparent loophole has caused confusion and frustration for parents and campaigners for some time.

Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority has said that steps are being taken to close this anomaly, The Daily Mirror reports. Mr Parker has reportedly said that the Committee of Advertising Practice: “is going to be very soon consulting publicly over whether a change of approach is needed [to ban] the targeting of HFSS (High Fat Sugar and Salt) food ads at children.”

He said that the organisation was in the position of having to: “explain why our ad codes ban the targeting of a sugary food ad around Peppa Pig on linear TV but don’t ban that same ad appearing in or around that same episode of Peppa Pig when that episode is shown online.”

Mr Parker added that there was: “a growing consensus about the role of advertising, self-regulation helping to bring about change in the nature and balance of food advertising to children.”

It is understood that a consultation will be published shortly by the Committee of Advertising Practice.

Figures released by the government’s National Children Measurement Programme for England last year found that one in 10 children is already obese by the time they start primary school. By the time they left primary school, this rose to 1 in 5 children.

The study also found that children living in lower-socio economic areas were twice as likely to become obese as those living in more affluent areas.

According to Public Health England, serious physical and psychological effects of childhood obesity include low self-esteem, isolation from peers, anxiety, depression, diabetes, asthma and other respiratory problems, as well as disturbed sleep and fatigue.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in