Dev Sharma, a sixth-form pupil at Winchester College, has been recognised for his work on tackling junk food advertising to children and young people.
The awards celebrate people across the UK who have taken action on the issues they care about by engaging with the UK Parliament, with the winners chosen by a panel of MPs, Lords and independent judges.
During the lockdown, Dev noticed a marked increase in online advertising for junk food and takeaways, and he wanted to put a stop to it. He took action by writing to the Secretary of State for Health, urging the UK Government to make policy changes to protect young people from adverts promoting unhealthy foods. Dev also launched an open letter calling for an end to this type of advertising and encouraged young people across the country to support it.
In July 2021, the UK Government announced new regulations to introduce a 9 pm watershed for advertisements of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, which will come into force at the end of 2023.
Dev Sharma, who is Youth MP for West Hampshire, received his award from Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, in a ceremony hosted in the Speaker’s House at the Houses of Parliament on 29 March.
Dev said, “I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of the work of hundreds of young people that have made this possible.
“It feels surreal to have won. It was a magical day being invited to the Palace of Westminster with my family.
“I look forward to continuing my activism and aim to truly make a difference for all the youth of Hampshire whom I represent nationally as their youth MP. I pledge to continue to make sure that the youth are heard so we can help improve people's lives.”
Dev dedicated the award to all the youth voices at Bite Back 2030 & The Food Foundation, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Act4Food Global, and UK Youth Parliament.
