NGO urges Ministry of Health to regulate representation of tobacco products on OTT platforms

The National Tobacco Eradication Organization (NOTE-India) on Thursday urged Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to regulate the depiction of tobacco products on OTT platforms to save the younger generation from tobacco addiction. In a letter to the Union Health Minister, Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chairman of NOTE-India, said that according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, nearly a fifth of students aged 13 to 15 have used tobacco in one form or another.

COTPA rules were notified to regulate the depiction of tobacco images in movies and television programs. Although COTPA rules are fairly well implemented by movie theater owners and TV broadcasters, they do not apply to movies/series that are streamed/streamed on Over the Top (OTT) platforms. Referring to a study, Salkar said, there is a widespread depiction of tobacco use in series on OTT platforms and most have been rated for viewers under 18, thus targeting young people and children. .

“To save the youth from the menace of tobacco, India needs to fill the regulatory void in OTT media and ideally extend its movie rule to OTT with effective enforcement without further delay,” he said. NOTE is an Indian federation of 20 non-governmental organizations, founded in 1992. (ANI)

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