Indonesia's Digital Ministry summons YouTube over vape ads involving children

Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kominfo) is preparing to summon the digital platform YouTube following the identification of content that promotes electronic cigarette products and involves children. Minister Meutya Hafid announced that a summons letter has been issued, and YouTube is expected to provide a response within three days.

This action comes after Kominfo sent a first warning letter on Sunday regarding content created by Muhammad Jannah, known as Bigmo. This content reportedly involved minors in a live broadcast promoting vape products.

Minister Hafid expressed concern that the continued presence of such promotional content on digital platforms like YouTube indicates an inconsistency in their content moderation efforts. She stated that these platforms are failing to effectively prevent the negative impacts of harmful content.

Kominfo emphasized that the involvement of children in promoting e-cigarettes not only violates Indonesian health laws but also breaches YouTube's own community guidelines. The ministry views this as a failure by the platform to uphold its internal standards and protect vulnerable users.

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So we will see in three days, tomorrow or the day after, it will be summoned. We have also issued a summons letter to hear YouTube's response.