Tobacco Warning Mandatory For OTT Platforms, Says Govt

The Government of India 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 contents 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.