DKI Provincial Government affirms that Smoke-Free Zone Regulation aims to reduce number of novice smokers

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has affirmed that Regional Regulation (Perda) No. 7 of 2025 on Smoke-Free Zones (KTR) is an effort to reduce or prevent novice smokers. “This regulation mandates the prohibition of displaying or showing cigarette displays in sales places. This is a bold and strategic step in Jakarta to reduce the number of novice smokers, and we usually see children and adolescents involved,” said the Head of Disease Prevention and Control at the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Sri Puji Wahyuni, in Jakarta on Sunday. In addition, during the socialisation event for the KTR Regulation monitored in Jakarta on Sunday, she also emphasised that the KTR Regulation aims to prohibit advertising tobacco products and electronic cigarettes on digital-based social media. Referring to data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI), the first smoking age in Jakarta is 10-14 years at 18.6 percent and 15-19 years at 55.6 percent. Previously, a 2017 Health Office survey of 2,113 junior and senior high school students in West Jakarta and North Jakarta showed that 36 percent of students had smoked, with the youngest first smoking age being seven years. “Novice smokers among children and adolescents continue to rise and pose a particular challenge that we must address together,” said Sri. Various data and studies, she added, show that both active and passive smokers have the same likelihood of suffering from chronic diseases with high mortality rates, such as heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Therefore, the DKI Provincial Government is committed to providing a quality environment with clean air and maximum protection for its residents, especially vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. In addition, the DKI Provincial Government is also inviting managers of public places, retailers, and business actors to jointly create a healthy culture through the implementation of the KTR Regulation. She also urged all regional apparatus, from mayors and district heads to village heads, to intensify education and supervision at the community level through a humane yet firm approach. Sri emphasised that the KTR Regulation is not intended to discriminate against smokers or restrict them, but to regulate and ensure that everyone has the right to breathe clean air and live as healthily as possible.