MAM
Only 6 out of 21 states didn’t violate anti-tobacco ad laws in 2012-13
NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh led in the number of violations of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA) with prosecution of 71,705 persons and collection of Rs 52,83,948 as fine between April 2012 and September last year.
Parliament was informed by Health Minister Harshvardhan that the enforcement of COTPA is the responsibility of the states.
Of the 21 states for which data was available, six had not reported any cases during this period. Only four states exceeded the prosecution/challan of more than 10,000 persons.
In Tamil Nadu, a total of 26,081 persons were prosecuted and a sum of Rs 27,73,750 was collected as fine. Karnataka had 19,030 prosecutions resulting in collection of Rs 19, 58,724 as fine, while Rajasthan had 12,891 prosecutions and Rs 13,51,314 as fine.
COTPA Amendment Rules 2011 were notified in August 2011. These rules mandate prohibition of sale of tobacco products to and by persons below the age of eighteen years and recovery of fine thereon by the authorised officers.
The then health secretary in August last year had written to all the chief secretaries and director generals of police in states/union territories for implementing the rules related to regulation of advertisements at points of sale.
Based upon the request of Health & Family Welfare Ministry, the then home secretary in May this year sent an advisory to the director generals of police in states /union territories to incorporate COTPA as one of the agenda items in the monthly crime review meetings at the district level.
In June this year, then Health Ministry additional secretary wrote to all the chief secretaries and administrators in states /union territories to make compliance to COTPA a necessary condition in the licenses being issued to eating house and restaurants.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister said in reply to another question that multimedia campaigns are implemented for behaviour change on mass media supported by outdoor media such as hoardings, bus panels, information kiosks, folk performances and exhibition vans for creating awareness and demand generation at service centres/facilities across the country among general population on services being provided to prevent AIDS.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
