Sophie Arie London

Governments need to do more to understand how much children are being influenced by online advertising for junk food and to protect them from it, the World Health Organisation has said.

Despite existing policies, “exposure of children and young people to the online marketing of unhealthy food products tobacco and alcohol is common,” said João Breda, head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.

We have “regulatory frameworks that do not fully protect children and young people and they may need improvements,” he said at the launch of a new report.1

WHO, which has been monitoring digital advertising of …