Over-The-Top Streaming Platforms: A Modernistic Approach to Endanger Youth to Tobacco Exposure

INTRODUCTION The appeal of specific aspects of life is distinctive – for instance, paneer for vegetarians, butter chicken for nonvegetarians, and binge-watching digital content for youth. The internet has become ubiquitous across the country, reaching the most remote areas to the urbanized centres. Gen Z, on average, dedicates over 2 h to consuming online content, making it a constant source of mental nourishment.1 The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted individuals’ physical and mental well-being but has also catalysed the rise of special over the top (OTTs) streaming platforms.2 OTTs strategically tailored their content and transformed entertainment by offering diverse array of movies and shows keeping audiences engrossed during challenging times. These platforms have become a contemporary strategy to introduce adolescents and young adults to content that transcends conventional boundaries. CONTEXT The growing accessibility of digital content through OTT platforms has created opportunities for the dissemination of unregulated material, including the glamorization of tobacco use. While India witnessed a decline in tobacco advertising following the implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) in 2004, the subsequent rise of tobacco imagery in films posed a new challenge, affirming the phrase, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Recognizing the unintended consequences of curbing tobacco advertising, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced regulations in 2005 aimed at eliminating tobacco imagery from films.3 Despite subsequent amendments leading to their enforcement in 2012, OTT platforms remain unaffected by the guidelines for over a decade. This perpetuation has enabled the tobacco industry to promote its products to young adults through various streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar, Voot, Zee5, and Jio Cinema, etc., encompassing a wide range of genres from action and thrillers to documentaries where the foreign produced streaming media displaying more tobacco visuals comparative to Indian content creators.4 The influential power of mass media in shaping behavior is evident; while growing up children often emulate their favourite TV characters, engross into their roles and eventually consider them their role models; therefore, the tobacco crisis on OTT becomes a concerning issue. Portrayals of tobacco use, including smoking cigarettes, beedis, hookahs, e-cigarettes like pods, mod, vapes, and the consumption of pan masala, gutka, create an allure that can influence youth susceptibility to tobacco initiation driven by peer pressure, social media, socio economic status, etc. Research suggests tobacco-related cues trigger immediate smoking behavior in adolescents and hamper cessation efforts.5 Tobacco imagery on OTT platforms in various settings such as schools, parties, and homes, albeit indirect, may lead to erroneous conclusions about the appropriate use of tobacco products, particularly when tobacco is depicted as a coping mechanism to stress. Arguably, some may consider such scenes as creator’s artistic expression, but it is important to note that they may also inadvertently serve to promote the tobacco industries. Stringent measures are imperative to curb the depiction of tobacco use on OTT platforms therefore India took a ground breaking decision by becoming the first country to regulate tobacco portrayal on OTT platforms through the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Amendment Rules, 2023. These regulations entail the display of anti-tobacco health spots during broadcasts, integration of health warnings during tobacco portrayals, and incorporating audio-visual disclaimers stating the harmful effects of tobacco use.6 Despite such endeavors, OTT platforms fail to comply with regulations.7 While a comprehensive prohibition on tobacco-related imagery and advertising is the most effective measure to address this issue, it is also important to avoid any depictions that normalize tobacco consumption. For instance, parental smoking in front of children or portraying tobacco as a coping mechanism to depression, pain, or stress. Furthermore, it is essential to avoid endowing authenticity of a certain lifestyle through tobacco depiction which could be unnecessary and misleading. Anti-tobacco warnings and disclaimers have been displayed on our screen experience for a considerable amount of time. However, over the years, these warnings have become obsolete and are often disregarded by the audience. Due to their placement on screen viewers tend to overlook or ignore these warnings most of the time. Therefore, frequently modifying the disclaimers with accurate and strategic information, emphasizing not only the detrimental effects of tobacco consumption but also the health benefits of abstaining from it should be incorporated. Similarly, involving influential figures eminently the celebrities portraying tobacco usage to promote anti-tobacco sentiments stating it as a part of their profession are pivotal steps to deter audience from tobacco use. Implementation of proper age restrictions on subscription services, particularly important for the users who don’t pay attention to age ratings and content descriptors is vital to safeguard young minds from tobacco influence. Self-regulation by OTT platforms is essential, but OTTs are incompetent in providing content devoid of tobacco consumption making OTTs merely a scapegoat in the larger issue of tobacco popularization and normalization. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS OTTs, while revolutionary in transforming entertainment consumption, have inadvertently become a modernistic avenue for exposing adolescents and young adults to tobacco imagery. This persistent exposure undermines the decades of progress in tobacco control and directly contravenes Section 5 of the COTPA, 2003, which prohibits all forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Similarly, it blatantly violates Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls for a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship across both traditional and digital media. Empirical evidence indicates that exposure to tobacco imagery in digital media, including OTT platforms, not only normalizes tobacco use but also significantly increases the risk of initiation and continuation of consumption among youth, thereby creating a causal link that hampers global tobacco control efforts. This necessitates urgent policy intervention to extend stringent monitoring, regulation, and enforcement mechanisms to the digital ecosystem. To safeguard vulnerable populations, especially adolescents and young adults, it is imperative to: Modernize and align existing regulations with contemporary digital standards Ensure mandatory compliance by OTT platforms with anti-tobacco health warnings, disclaimers, and age-gating mechanisms Regularly update and strengthen warning messages with impactful, evidence-based content that highlights not only the harms of tobacco use but also the benefits of abstinence Engage influential figures, particularly celebrities depicted using tobacco on-screen, in counter-marketing campaigns to reinforce anti-tobacco messages Strengthen collaboration between regulatory bodies, academia, and civil society to monitor compliance and report violations. A robust, future-ready tobacco control framework is crucial to fortify youth protection and foster a safe digital environment. Without decisive action, OTT platforms risk becoming conduits for the tobacco industry, perpetuating its influence under the guise of creative freedom.