Protect Children from Nicotine Trap: Academics and Activists Urge Plain Packaging Implementation

Support for the government’s plan to standardise cigarette packaging, known as plain packaging, continues to grow. Various civil society organisations, academics, and health advocates view the policy as a strategic step to protect children and adolescents from exposure to tobacco product promotion, which has long been conducted through attractive packaging designs. The Ministry of Health is currently drafting a Ministerial Regulation on the Inclusion of Health Warnings on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes. One of the key points in the rule is the standardisation of the colour and appearance of tobacco product packaging without removing brand identity and pictorial health warnings. Through this policy, the government aims to reduce the visual appeal of tobacco products, which are often used as a promotional tool. This step is considered important because cigarette packaging remains one of the most effective marketing media to attract consumer attention, especially among young age groups.

Dollaris Riauaty Suhadi, Chair of Smoke Free Jakarta, stressed that cigarettes should not be marketed as lifestyle products through visually attractive packaging. “Standardised packaging is necessary so that cigarette packs no longer serve as promotional tools targeting children and teenagers,” she stated on Monday (22/6/2026). She noted that various countries have proven the effectiveness of plain packaging policies in reducing the appeal of tobacco products, increasing the effectiveness of health warnings, and preventing the emergence of new smokers. “Indonesia must not lag behind in efforts to protect the younger generation from nicotine addiction. We support the Ministry of Health to immediately enact the standardised packaging regulation as part of its commitment to safeguarding public health,” Dollaris added.

Echoing this sentiment, Sumarjati Arjoso, Chair of the Tobacco Control Support Centre of the Indonesian Public Health Experts Association, assessed that tobacco product packaging has so far been part of the industry’s marketing strategy to attract consumers. She explained that the draft ministerial regulation is a derivative of Government Regulation No. 28/2024, which implements Law No. 17/2023 on Health. Its primary objective is to reduce the prevalence of tobacco consumption and create a healthier, higher-quality Indonesian generation. “Attractive and colourful packaging designs are an effective marketing strategy for the tobacco industry, particularly in appealing to young people. Standardised packaging will eliminate visual elements that create the impression that cigarettes are a lifestyle product or status symbol,” she said. She added that the ideal packaging standard should follow global practices, using a uniform, non-flashy colour, without logos and promotional messages. Brand names and variants may still be included, but with a predetermined size, font type, and format. Furthermore, pictorial health warnings must be displayed prominently on the front and back of the packaging.

Meanwhile, academics argue that the implementation of plain packaging must be consistent to prevent the industry from retaining promotional functions through certain visual elements. Roosita Meilani Dewi, Head of the Centre for Human and Economic Development at the Ahmad Dahlan Institute of Technology and Business Jakarta, asserted that the policy is not only related to health but also carries broad economic and social implications. “Standardising cigarette packaging is not just a matter of appearance; it is an economic policy that protects the people. Every rupiah spent by poor households on cigarettes is a rupiah lost from food needs, children’s education, and family savings for the future,” she said. Roosita believes that the presence of logos and branding elements on packaging has the potential to maintain the appeal of tobacco products in the eyes of young consumers. She therefore urged that the principle of plain packaging be applied in full accordance with the mandate of Government Regulation No. 28/2024. The Centre for Human and Economic Development also submitted several recommendations to the Ministry of Health, including removing all provisions that still allow the use of logos on packaging, increasing the size of health warnings to at least 80% of the packaging surface area, and ensuring that all articles in the draft regulation are consistently structured to avoid multiple interpretations during implementation and supervision.