RAYA Indonesia Calls For Controlling Cigarette Ads On The Internet, Easy To Access To Youth And Children

Poster campaign revision of Government Regulation Number 109 of 2012 to ban cigarette advertisements via internet. (photo: doc. between)

JAKARTA - The prohibition of smoking continues to be applied in various media, including the internet. Indonesian Palace Studies and Advocacy (RAYA Indonesia) also continues to encourage the government to immediately issue a ban on cigarette advertisements via the internet. The head of RAYA Indonesia, Hery Chariansyah in Jakarta, Saturday, October 1, asked the government to ratify the revision of Government Regulation (PP) Number 109 of 2012 concerning the Security of Materials Containing Addictive Substances in the Form of Tobacco Products for Health. Hery explained that this policy could be issued immediately considering that the Ministry of Health had completed the discussion on the revision of Government Regulation Number 109 of 2012.

Hery also revealed that based on the RAYA survey, cigarette advertisements that are quite rampant through the internet have a high risk of being accessible to or seen by children and adolescents. In addition, Hery assessed that cigarette advertisements on the internet do not have a distribution time limit and/or air and can be said to be circulating without supervision and non-compliant with regulations. "In the name of law and in the best interest for children," said Hery. Based on a survey in April-September 2022, Hery said RAYA Indonesia found as many as 1,299 cigarette advertisements spread across the internet on several websites. Hery stated that the focus of supervision in the form of banner advertisements, transitional advertisements, 'pop-up' advertisements, and no age verification application to access cigarette advertisements. In addition, the same as monitoring carried out in the previous year, cigarette advertisements on the internet can only be seen if the website is accessed using a device. Hery emphasized that the findings of the survey show cigarette advertisements via the internet violating PP No. 109 of 2012 which requires cigarette advertisements on information technology media to apply age verification to limit access only to people who are not only children's age. "Due to the weakness of Government Regulation Number 109 of 2012, cigarette advertisements on the internet violate the rules without any sanctions and monitoring mechanisms carried out by the Government of Indonesia," said Hery, quoted by Antara. Then, Hery considers cigarette advertisements on the internet which are only displayed through device devices showing the marketing strategy of the cigarette industry targeting children and teenagers. Because according to Hery, the population of internet users in Indonesia is dominated by mobile devices with the highest number of users of children and adolescents. As a result of several studies, Hery stated that the regulation on weak cigarette advertisements has an impact on increasing the prevalence of child smokers every year, far from the target Indonesia's National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) which plans to reduce the prevalence of child smokers to 5.4 percent. "Therefore, the Indonesian Government must take firm steps to prohibit cigarette advertisements through the internet in order to protect children from cigarette addictive substances," said Hery. 19/PUU-VIII/2010, the government is obliged to prohibit advertising and promote cigarettes as an effort to protect children as mandated by the 1945 Constitution and the Child Protection Act. Indonesian House of Studies and Advocacy or RAYA Indonesia civil society organizations that seek study and advocates for the people who aim to defend and promote the rights of the Indonesian people in the spirit of building welfare.