Sorry, Not Sorry: You Can’t Silence This Message!

Walk down any high street, wait at a bus stop, or stroll past a billboard — chances are you won’t see any healthy food being promoted. You’re seeing a marketing machine designed to push high-fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) products into the hands of young people like me.

I still remember walking to school one morning, half-awake and clutching my water bottle, when a massive poster of the new McDonald’s wrap flashed up. Five steps later, there was another one, this time advertising chips and a milkshake. By the time I got to school, I felt like I’d seen more fast food ads than actual food options in our canteen.

Young people are surrounded. On our streets, screens, and even on our way to school, there’s no escape from the flood of junk food ads. And let’s be real, these ads aren’t just annoying. They’re powerful. They’re colourful. They’re built to pull us in.

That’s why we’re on a mission to change the way unhealthy food is made, marketed, and sold, especially to children.

Our Reality: surrounded by junk food ads

We have made progress in stopping the endless flow of junk food ads. 1st October 2025 was supposed to mark a huge milestone, when the long-awaited restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink, on TV before 9 pm and online at any time, would come into effect. But this ban has been delayed again, with the Government announcement that they would push it back to January 2026.

We can’t afford to delay our health. I’ve seen a Happy Meal advert light up my little brother’s whole face. Within seconds, the screen filled with bright colours, cheerful music, and a voice that made it all sound like magic. In that moment, he wasn’t just watching an advert; he was being told that happiness comes in a box with chips and a toy. And that message? It sticks.

Delays from the Government mean junk food ads haven't just stuck around, they’ve increased. If the system isn't protecting us, then who will?

Our #CommercialBreak campaign isn’t just important, it’s urgent

That’s why we took over ad spaces in London, from billboards to the sides of buses, we put our message in 365 places: give kids a #CommercialBreak. We used Big Food’s tactics against them — our analysis found that last year (2024), food and drink companies spent over £400 million on street advertising.

Big Food isn’t just on billboards and buses, it’s showing up in places where they know young people will be. These companies spend millions creating an environment where unhealthy food is the norm, and then duck away from accountability.

By flipping the script, we put our voices in the spotlight instead of the same old corporate slogans. Our message landed with a bang — we recently won a Sheila McKechnie award for Best Consumer Campaign at this year’s awards.

We’re being silenced, but our voices are loud

Then came the ban. Our campaign passed all the regulatory checks — nothing harmful, nothing misleading. And yet, the two biggest UK media companies rejected it. Just like that, we have been shut out.

It was a gut punch. Not just because it felt unfair, but because it exposed something bigger: when truth threatens profit, it gets silenced.

Getting censored for calling this out? It shows just how broken the system really is. We weren’t extreme. We weren’t rude. We were real. But real doesn’t sit well with an industry that relies on keeping people in the dark.

Because once you start seeing it, you can’t unsee it, and once you understand how deep it runs, you realise it’s not just about food, it’s about fairness. And that’s something worth fighting for.

We need national change. The Government has the power to make real progress, but it’s still putting corporate profits before our health. It’s time it stepped up and expanded restrictions on junk food advertising across all public spaces. We deserve a world where health isn’t a luxury and junk food ads aren’t the wallpaper of our lives.

Streets filled with junk food ads send one message. We’re here to send another: we won’t stand while our health is sold to the highest bidder. We’re refusing to stay quiet. We know we’re not alone — whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or a passionate young person like me, this affects all of us.

Let’s make our collective voices too loud to ignore

We want people to know that their voices — joined with ours — can pressure the industry and Government to finally take action.

Join us. We’re hitting back against censorship and showing Big Food that we’re not backing down. Put our message up in your windows, on your social media, and around your areas. Let’s make space for real voices, not just the loudest wallets in the room.