Unwiring Tech

I Amrita welcome you to the second episode of Unwiring Tech where we discuss issues related to  the digital world. Let’s decode another story that has been making the rounds in the news. 

Recently, the Union Health Ministry has made it mandatory for OTT platforms like to display health warnings against tobacco consumption in the middle and at the beginning of the content being streamed. 

Today, not only adults but children also watch movies, series and whatnot on OTT platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon prime for hours. 

These platforms are not fully regulated. An example of this is that nowadays no warnings are shown for scenes involving consumption of alcohol or tobacco like in the theatre or on television.OTT platforms have been in the news several times for content shown on their platforms such as Bombay Begums, Mirzapur and Tandav which were found to be inappropriate for children. 

Whatever content children watch on OTT platforms has a deep impact on their minds and they try to imitate it like consuming alcohol or tobacco. 

For these reasons, the government has been talking about regulating OTT content for a long time so that children are not affected badly. 

So what are the new rules announced by the Ministry? 

The new rules announced on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day will be effective in three months. According to the rules, anti-tobacco warnings will be shown not only at the beginning of the movie or series but also in the middle of them wherever tobacco use is shown.

Also the platforms will have to prepare an audio-visual which will explain the ill effects associated with tobacco and it will be shown at the beginning and middle of the programme. 

A written message which highlights that consumption of tobacco is injurious to health will also be displayed on the screen. 

The inclusion, promotion and use of tobacco product brands in online content is prohibited. 

Whether the content coming on online platforms is right for children or not is a big question for parents. 

The answer to these questions is digital parenting app Wranga which reviews the content of online games, apps and OTT platforms like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and informs the parents/guardians if the content has any instances that shows violence, substance abuse, usage of abusive languages and others. 

With this, I would like to conclude today’s episode. Stay tuned to know more about the digital world and its happenings.