The leftist government of Spain will ban advertising aimed at children for foods and beverages with high sugar content, such as chocolates, ice creams or energy drinks, to fight obesity, the Minister of Consumption Alberto Garzón announced on Thursday.
The ban will take effect in 2022 and will cover all media, including television, radio, social media and apps, that have content for people under 16 years of age.
“Minors are vulnerable consumers and we have the obligation to protect them against advertising,” Alberto Garzón said at a press conference in Barcelona.
The measure aims to prevent these audiences from reaching advertisements for chocolates, bars and energy drinks, juices or ice cream, products that the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined as “harmful” for children.
In this way, Spain will follow in the footsteps of other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway and Portugal, the minister explained.
One in three children in Spain is overweight or obese, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
“Advertising is one of the causes of this figure,” said the institution in a tweet.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 in the world increased from 4% in 1975 to 18%, according to the latest WHO data.
