Advertising ban for sweets & co
In the UK, there has been a ban on advertising extremely unhealthy foods since January 2026. Specifically, products with significantly too much salt or significantly too much and too densely packed sugar may no longer be advertised on television before 9 p.m., and not at all online. Do we need the same in Germany?
Background: In the UK, as in Germany, there is a massive increase in the number of children who are significantly overweight at a very early age and therefore have to carry a great risk and burden with them for the rest of their lives.
The British Department of Health expects the advertising ban to result in around 20,000 fewer overweight children over the next few years.
From a paediatrician's point of view, this is definitely something we should think about here in Germany. Of course, some will cry out in annoyance: "Oh God, bans, bans, bans again!"
But here's something to consider: firstly, we all know how difficult it is to apply existing knowledge about health in everyday life - and that applies to adults. We have to be particularly caring for children. They certainly cannot follow appropriate behaviour or implement measures on their own.
A recent study also showed that there is almost no other country in Europe where good, reliable scientific knowledge on health prevention is implemented as poorly as in Germany. This is all the more reason to consider a ban on advertising.
In addition, it is of course also important to improve general knowledge about healthy eating and behaviour. We need to think about how we can get into the subject at an earlier stage - for example by introducing a subject called "health" or "prevention", in which such topics are regularly taught at primary school.
In the long term, we might then need fewer bans and regulations. But we need to get our act together, otherwise we will shamefully leave our children to deal with the problems of increasing obesity on their own.
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