British regulators have decided against a ban on children's advertising in contrast to the position in the Republic, where regulators plan to introduce major restrictions.

The decision by the British regulator, Ofcom, not to clamp down on children's advertising means that broadcasters like Sky, UTV, Nickelodeon and MTV will not be governed by a specific code restricting elements of children's advertising.

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) is expected next week to outline the latest draft of its code which introduces stringent controls over the advertising of fast food and sugary products to children. Irish broadcasters such as RTÉ, TV3 and TG4 will be governed by this code.

Among the proposals is a ban on celebrities fronting food and soft drink campaigns aimed at children. Food and drink companies are opposed to many of the restrictions proposed.

A BCI spokeswoman said that, while the two regulators were taking different paths, there was a good deal of overlap between the rules in Britain and Ireland.

She also emphasised that the BCI was planning to restrict advertising to children, rather than banning it outright. She said the BCI code would have an educational role. Ofcom said a total ban would be "ineffective" in tackling childhood obesity compared with other measures, such as encouraging children to exercise more.