Anti-tobacco health warning mandatory for OTT platforms: Govt

The government has made it mandatory for OTT platforms to display an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen during the period of a tobacco product being displayed or used in a programme, the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday.

The government notified the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Rules, 2023 on May 31, Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel said in a written reply.

According to the amended rules, every publisher of online curated content displaying tobacco products or their use has to display anti-tobacco health spots, for a minimum 30 seconds each at the beginning and middle of the programme.

They have to display an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen during the period of display of the tobacco products or their use in the programme, and also display an audio-visual disclaimer on the ill-effects of tobacco for a minimum 20 seconds each in the beginning and middle of the programme, Baghel said in his written reply.

Moreover, all compliance is ensured as per Rule (6) of the Amendment Rules, 2023 through 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.

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