Junk food advertising: is the time ripe for restrictions?

When it comes to junk food advertising, a new survey by the UK's Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) has revealed significant support among parents for stronger restrictions to protect children from exposure. Current regulations, introduced in 2007, only restrict junk food adverts if a TV show, film or website is designed specifically for children. According to OHA, this means that junk food adverts can be aired with popular shows such as X Factor. As our chart shows, a majority of parents in the UK agree that children's exposure to junk food marketing contributes to obesity, and as such, there is also strong support for watershed-based restrictions on this type of advertising.