The number of obese children and adolescents increased from 11 million worldwide in 1975 to 124 million in 2016.

Children's exposure to advertisements and commercials about junk food and sugary drinks is associated with inappropriate food choices and being overweight or obese.

“Industry self-regulation has failed,” says Anthony Costello, one of the authors of the document, prepared by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the scientific journal The Lancet.

The authors point the finger at what they consider to be the “exploitative practices” of industry marketing, which promotes ‘fast food’ or sugary drinks.

Another of the document's concerns is the exposure of minors to advertising and marketing about alcohol and tobacco consumption.

For example, in Australia children and adolescents continue to be exposed to more than 50 million advertisements for alcoholic beverages during a year during the televised broadcast of sports such as football, cricket or rugby.

Also in the United States, young people's exposure to advertisements about electronic cigarettes or 'vaping' has grown, a 250% increase in two years, with advertising reaching more than 24 million minors.