UK may Ban Online Junk Food Advertising
In a movement to prevent obesity in children, the United Kingdom’s Government announced on Tuesday their plan to ban online junk food advertisements.
While health officials and campaigners welcomed the new ban, it will undergo a 6-week consultation. This ban, which comes as an extension to the measures made in July, has shocked the advertisement industry.
Obesity is a dangerous disease. It is also one of the most significant health concerns the United Kingdom faces. The World Health Organization announced that about 2.8 million people die each year from being overweight. This number is about 3 times higher than it was in 1975.
The new restrictions come after seeing the effect COVID-19 had on overweight individuals – putting them at higher risk for complications than the average person.
The Department of Health & Social Care provided research which shows children are exposed to over 15 billion ads revolving around junk food a year. These ads affect how individuals shape their personal eating habits.
Children are easily influenced. The more they see a product, the more they want it. With them spending more time online, they see advertisements everywhere they click, influencing the way they think.
Restricting what is shown will hopefully reduce the influence these products have on their audience. Also, hopefully leading to healthier choices on when and what they eat.
The Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock expressed how determined he is to help make the community more aware of what is going on around them by addressing a current problem which will only become more prominent in the future.
During the pandemic, people who were overweight were proven to be more at risk than others. This policy aims to help improve children’s overall health. Lowering their risk for other serious diseases, and even death.
If implemented, the ban would impact digital marketing all over the web in the UK. The ban includes ads on Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram, as well as various other websites.
NOTE: All information was fact-checked by the UK Government’s Online Website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-public-consultation-on-total-ban-of-online-advertising-for-unhealthy-foods & the World Health Organization Online Statistics.
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