Online streaming platforms in India don't include health warnings about tobacco despite mandate

Online streaming platforms in India don't include health warnings about tobacco despite mandate

In 2012, authorities in India mandated that movies and TV shows that depict substance use — cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs — include warnings at the bottom of the screen to indicate that these were damaging to health. New research finds that shows on some online streaming platforms are not compliant. Researchers surveyed a group of youth in India's capital of New Delhi to determine the 10 most popular shows — eight of these were on Netflix, while the others were on Amazon Prime Video. Despite most shows including at least one scene depicting tobacco use or implying its use (with Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" having the most such scenes), none of them provided on-screen warnings. Only 33 youth were surveyed about the shows they watched, but the authors emphasize that streaming platforms ought to be subject to the law in the same way as traditional media platforms.