Digital Space Must Be Cleansed of Cigarette Promotional Content

The Free Net From Tobacco (FNFT) coalition has welcomed initial steps by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communication and Digital to address violations of cigarette advertising on social media, as stipulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 28 of 2024. Of the 144 data points of cigarette and electronic cigarette advertising violations recommended by the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Communication and Digital on 27 April 2026, more than 60 per cent of the content has reportedly been taken down or made inaccessible. FNFT considers this development an important first step in the implementation of the regulation, marking the first time the mechanism has functioned in practice, from monitoring by the Ministry of Health to recommendations and subsequent handling of offending content.

“We appreciate the initial steps taken by the Ministry of Health and Komdigi, but oversight must not stop at this early stage. The takedown of more than 60 per cent of reported content shows that the implementation of PP 28/2024 is beginning to work. Cigarette promotion in the digital space is still massive and continues to adapt with new formats, so enforcement must be firm, consistent, and without tolerance for violations,” said FNFT Coordinator Eka Erfiyanti Putri on Thursday. Echoing this, YLKI Secretary Rio Priambodo stressed the importance of consistent enforcement to protect consumer rights in the digital space. “The handling of violating content shows that consumer protection in the digital space can be realised when rules are taken seriously. However, the public needs assurance that existing regulations are enforced consistently and without exception,” he said, adding that digital spaces should be safe for users, not exploited to promote addictive products harmful to health, especially for children and adolescents.

Data from the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association indicates that Generation Z, roughly aged 12 to 27, is the largest and most active group of internet users in Indonesia. This demographic includes children and adolescents who are not yet fully mature cognitively or socially, making them particularly vulnerable to exposure to covert promotional content in the digital space. The Indonesian Youth Council for Tactical Changes, together with a youth coalition, has raised alarming findings regarding children’s exposure to cigarette promotion in Jakarta. Data from Lentera Anak in 2021 showed that 88.1 per cent of children exposed to electronic cigarette advertising encountered it on social media. A year after the enactment of PP 28/2024, concerns over its impact persist, with multiple studies indicating that flavourings in tobacco products, particularly fruit and sweet flavours, can motivate young people to try tobacco products. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, between three and five adolescents see cigarette advertisements on television, in outdoor media, and at points of sale.