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Health ministry tells OTTs to carry anti-tobacco warnings
The Union health ministry on Wednesday made it mandatory for OTT platforms to display anti-tobacco warnings as are seen in movies screened in theatres and also television programmes.
The Union health ministry on Wednesday notified the amended rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2004, making it mandatory for OTT platforms to display anti-tobacco warnings as are seen in movies screened in theatres and also television programmes.
Makers of online curated content displaying tobacco products or their use will be required to display anti-tobacco health spots each of a minimum of 30 seconds at the beginning and middle of the programme, said the government notification, released on the World No Tobacco Day, on Wednesday. They will also be required to exhibit an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen when tobacco products or their use are displayed during the programme.
“The anti-tobacco health warning message as specified in clause(b) of sub-rule (1) shall be legible and readable, with font in black colour on white background and with the warnings ‘Tobacco causes cancer’ or ‘Tobacco kills’,” read the notification.
Besides, the anti-tobacco health warning messages, health spots and audio-visual disclaimers will have to be in the same language as used in the online curated content. The display of tobacco products or their use in online curated content shall not extend to display of the brands of cigarettes or other tobacco products or any form of tobacco product placement and display of tobacco products or their use in promotional materials, it added.
India has been taking active measures to cut tobacco use. In 2018, the country implemented 85% pictorial warnings on cigarette packets, with an aim to make people aware of the harmful effects of tobacco use. As part of health warnings, it is mandatory to mention quit helpline number — 1800-11-2356 — on all packs containing tobacco products.
According to the 2021 Global Youth Tobacco Survey’s India data, there has been a 42% decline in tobacco use among school-going children, in the 13-15 age group, in the past decade.
Experts welcomed the government decision, maintaining that tobacco use is one of the key risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and also one of the preventable causes of oral cancer. Effective tobacco control is important for prevention and control of NCDs, experts said.
“As OTT has become the foremost source of entertainment and garnering information, the new rule to regulate tobacco display on digital content is a much appreciated step. The government’s intervention in the matter will not only regulate online content curators but will also create awareness, particularly among the younger generation, about adverse effects of tobacco use in any form. It is not just responsible for debilitating diseases but also impacts the economy. As per WHO, tobacco use leads to a 1% loss of GDP due to diseases and early deaths,” said Dr SK Chhabra, head of pulmonary, sleep and critical care medicine, Primus Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi.
People familiar with the matter said the Centre’s decision came following discussions with the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry and other stakeholders.
The expression “online curated content” means any curated catalogue of audio-visual content — other than news and current affairs content — which is owned by, licensed to, or contracted to be transmitted by a publisher of online curated content, and made available on demand over the internet or computer networks, and includes films, audio-visual programmes, television shows, serials, series and related content.
“If the publisher of online curated content fails to comply with the provisions of sub-rules (1) to (5), an inter-ministerial committee consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, shall take action suo motu or on a complaint, and after identifying the publisher of online curated content, issue notice giving reasonable opportunity to explain such failure and make appropriate modification in the content,” read the gazette notification.
