Fast food ads aimed at children could be banned from appearing on TV before 9pm.
A new government consultation will ask the public for their views on junk food advertising – and one option will be a pre-watershed ban on ads for any foods high in fat, sugar or salt.
The ban would also be extended to social media and streaming sites.
Public Health Minister Steve Brine said: “It is not right that our children are so widely and easily exposed to adverts promoting foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
“Small amounts of excess calories every day over a long time causes obesity and associated health concerns.
Our world-leading plan is about joined-up action across a range of areas so we can tackle childhood obesity from every possible angle.”
Research shows kids spend 14 hours a week watching TV and an increasing amount of time online. On both, the most common ads are for sugary and fatty foods.
In 2017, kids were estimated to have been exposed to more than 700 million ads for unhealthy foods online and almost 3.6 billion on TV.
Junk food ads during kids’ telly shows were banned in 2007, but figures show children spend 64 per cent of their TV viewing time watching programmes that are not aimed specifically at them.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said: “We know childhood obesity is one of the biggest health problems. With children spending more time online it’s vital we look at all options to help us improve the health of the nation.”
One in three children is currently overweight or obese and the number of severely obese children is on the rise.
By 2022/23, the NHS is expected to be treating up to 1,000 extra children for severe complications related to obesity, such as diabetes.
Telly chef Jamie Oliver said: “If we don’t find effective ways to improve our kids’ health, UK children will live shorter lives than their parents.
“It’s a fact that kids are hugely influenced by junk food ads, so the media and food industry has a real opportunity here to do something about it.”
But some critics slammed the proposals. Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, claimed politicians were “united by a desire to ban things”.
He added: “The Government’s domestic agenda seems to have been outsourced to Jamie Oliver. The result is, once again, illiberal.
“The idea of banning food advertisements to stop people eating too much is absurd. If it is safe enough to eat, it is safe to be shown on television.
“The policy will punish commercial broadcasters and achieve nothing. It is a sledgehammer to miss a nut.”