podcastsinenglish Level B.95 Not in front of the children
May 27, 2021
The discussion kicks off with the UK's dramatic proposal to ban junk food adverts aimed at kids. They explore the impact of food marketing on children's health and the reasoning behind the total online ban. Key platforms like Facebook and Google would be affected, restricting ads for unhealthy foods like burgers and chocolate. The conversation highlights alarming childhood obesity statistics and compares hefty advertising budgets, like McDonald's £85 million, to meager government health campaigns. A political twist reveals links between the prime minister's health and the new policy.
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Broad New Limits On Junk-Food Ads
- The UK plans to ban junk-food adverts on TV before 9pm and completely online to protect children from unhealthy marketing exposure.
- Regulators argue online bans are necessary because platforms cannot reliably distinguish children from adults.
Platforms Can't Verify Ages Reliably
- Online platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram would be affected since they cannot accurately verify users' ages.
- Policymakers prefer a full online ban as the most reliable way to prevent children's exposure to junk-food ads.
Obesity Drives The Policy Push
- The policy responds to high childhood obesity: one in three children leaving primary school are overweight or obese.
- Obesity links to higher long-term health costs and may have worsened COVID-19 outcomes for the UK.