The UK’s ‘junk food’ advertising ban starts today: what it means for families (a GP explains)

A quick note before we start

When we talk about weight and diet, it can feel personal, loaded, even judgmental. I want to be clear from the outset: this is not about blaming parents or children. In my clinic, I see every week how powerfully our environment shapes our health, from time pressure and food prices to stress, sleep, and what we're constantly being marketed. From a population health point of view, the scale is not trivial. Government estimates suggest that today’s advertising restrictions could remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year by reducing exposure to persuasive marketing of less healthy foods. That is not about individual meals or treats, but about the cumulative effect of thousands of small nudges over time.

This week, the UK has introduced new restrictions on advertising for "less healthy" foods and drinks (often described as HFSS, meaning high in fat, sugar and salt). It's been discussed for years, delayed more than once, and it's now in force.

I’ll explain what's changed, why it matters, and what I hope families take from it. Also you can check out the ruling in detail here on the gov.uk website.

So what's actually changed?

In simple terms, the new rules restrict advertising of HFSS products in two main places:

A 9pm watershed on TV and UK on-demand services for HFSS advertising, so these ads can't appear between 5.30am and 9pm.

A total ban on paid-for online advertising for HFSS products, across the entire day. This includes social media ads, sponsored posts, search engine listings, banner ads, basically any advertising that a company has paid to place online.

You may have seen headlines describing this as a "junk food ad ban". That captures the intention, but the detail matters. The rules apply to businesses with 250 or more employees, which means small independent cafes and bakeries aren't affected by the online ban (though they are by the TV watershed). Brand advertising, where companies promote their brand name without showing specific products, is also exempt.

Why does advertising even matter?

Advertising doesn't just "inform", it persuades. It builds familiarity, cravings, and the sense that a particular snack is normal, exciting, rewarding, or even deserved.

A large body of research has looked at food marketing and children. The World Health Organization has found that exposure to unhealthy food marketing can increase children's preferences and intake of those foods, with evidence linking this to obesity risk.

As a GP, this matters because children are still developing habits, taste preferences, and routines. If their online world and pre-watershed TV is saturated with highly engineered, heavily marketed products, it's not a level playing field.

The bigger picture in the UK

Obesity is complex. It's influenced by biology, sleep, mental health, medication, hormones, neurodiversity, poverty, work patterns, and the built environment. But it's also influenced by what's cheap, accessible and aggressively marketed.

In England, official figures estimate that 64.5% of adults are overweight or living with obesity, and 26.5% are living with obesity.

For children, the picture is concerning. The National Child Measurement Programme shows that in England in 2023/24, obesity prevalence was 9.6% in Reception (age 4 to 5) and 22.1% in Year 6 (age 10 to 11). That means more than one in five children are living with obesity by the time they leave primary school.

These aren't just statistics. They translate into higher risks later for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, joint problems, sleep apnoea, and mental health impacts.

Here's the bit that confuses people

One reason these rules have been controversial is that some foods people think of as relatively normal can still fall into the HFSS category, depending on the nutrient scoring model.

The classification is based on a scoring approach that looks at the levels of fat, sugar, and salt in a product, not a moral judgment about whether something is "good" or "bad". So a croissant, for example, might be classified as HFSS if it meets the threshold, even though most of us wouldn't think of it in the same way as sweets or crisps.

The most important thing I tell patients is this: a single food is rarely the whole story. Health is about patterns, portions, frequency, and context, plus what else is going on in your life.

Will this actually solve anything?

No. Not on its own.

Companies can shift marketing budgets into other channels, and there's been debate about how "brand advertising" fits into the spirit of the rules. Even with the new exemption clarified, some worry that companies will find creative workarounds.

But in public health, we rarely rely on one intervention. We use multiple levers: making the healthy choice easier, reducing exposure to persuasive cues, supporting schools and communities, and improving access to evidence-based treatment when needed.

This is one lever. Not perfect, but potentially meaningful. It's worth noting that these restrictions have been in the works since 2019, with consultations in 2020 and legislation passed in 2022. The delay to January 2026 was specifically to clarify the brand advertising exemption after industry concerns.

What this means for you as a parent

If your child pesters you for a snack they saw online, it doesn't mean you've done something wrong. It means advertising worked.

If food feels like a battleground in your home, you're not alone. Many families are juggling stress, time, picky eating phases, and tight budgets.

So instead of "more willpower", I prefer small systems that reduce friction.

One simple thing that actually helps

Pick 2 to 3 snacks you feel comfortable with being the "usual" option on school nights. Put them in an easy-to-reach place. Rotate them occasionally.

This does a few helpful things: it reduces negotiation fatigue, makes the routine predictable for children, and keeps you out of nightly decision overload.

And if weekends look different, that's fine too. Health doesn't require perfection.

The bottom line

From this week, the UK is restricting HFSS advertising online (paid-for) and before 9pm on TV and on-demand. This is not about blame. It's about creating a healthier environment for children to grow up in, while recognising that real life is messy and health is multifactorial.

General information only. For personalised advice, speak to your GP or clinician.