Government proposes new anti-tobacco regulations for online content platforms

The government has introduced new draft regulations to enforce stricter anti-tobacco messaging on online curated content (OCC) platforms, including video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The proposed rules will require OCC platforms to include non-skippable anti-tobacco health spots, lasting a minimum of 30 seconds, at the beginning and midway through any content that features tobacco use. This will apply to all releases from 1 September 2023 onwards. In addition, a 20-second audio-visual disclaimer outlining the dangers of tobacco use must be shown at the start of the content, with static anti-tobacco warnings displayed throughout any scenes featuring smoking.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the draft rules on 13 September 2024, seeking to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Rules, 2024. The public has been invited to provide feedback during a 30-day consultation period before the regulations are finalised.