What's happening?

Crisps. Burgers. French fries. Pizzas. Takeaways. Soon, you may no longer see adverts for these things on TV or online. The UK government wants to ban them from being shown before 9pm.

The government says the idea is part of its plan to tackle the "epidemicA widespread disease or infection." of childhood obesityThe medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.) in Britain.

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One-third of children in England are overweight by the time they leave primary school. This could lead to health problems when they grow up, such as Type 2 diabetesA condition in which your blood sugar levels are too high..

Some have blamed adverts for promotingEncouraging; making something look appealing. unhealthy foods that contain a lot of fat, sugar and salt. "Only 1% of food adverts are for vegetables!" wrote England's chief medical officer.

"Kids are hugely influencedPersuaded or affected by. by junk food ads," said TV chef Jamie Oliver. "The media and the food industry has a real opportunity here to do something about it."

Last month, junk food adverts were banned from trains and buses in London. Should they be banned everywhere?

Some say

Yes. Junk food is bad for you, but it is very tempting when there are adverts telling you how tasty it is. Banning them will help children and their parents to make better choices. Choosing well leads to kids growing up to have longer, healthier lives.

Others think

No. Junk food adverts are not the only cause of obesity, and banning them will not make much difference. The government must do more: including making healthy foods cheaper and helping kids to exercise more often.