Commercial television stations will face new restrictions on food and drink ads aimed at children in a bid to help counter the problem of childhood obesity.
The Australian Broadcasting Authority has approved a new commercial television code of practice, which also restricts loud advertisements and protects the privacy of children in news and current affairs reports.
Communications Minister Daryl Williams has welcomed the stronger code of practice, saying it reflects community standards.
Julie Flynn from the commercial television industry group, Free TV Australia, says this is a more practical approach to tackling the problem of child obesity.
"We made it clear way back in 2002 that we do not support advertising bans, so that's not new," she said.
"We think this is a much more constructive way to engage the broader industry and the community."
However the Federal Opposition's Kate Lundy says the new code of practice does not go far enough.
"One of the issues is that unhealthy foods are portrayed in a very appealing way on the advertising targeting children so I'm not sure whether the move in this code of practice is going to have any realistic effect on the sorts of advertisements that are specifically pitched at children," she said.