Jakarta. Jakarta Governor warns that students who smoke at school or in public places could lose their Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) Plus financial aid.

KJP Plus is a financial assistance program from the Jakarta Provincial Government that provides monthly stipends to help underprivileged students cover education-related expenses.

Governor Pramono said the penalty will be formalized in the upcoming Draft Regional Regulation on Smoke-Free Areas.

“If caught smoking at school or in public areas, students could lose their right to KJP Plus,” Pramono said.

The draft regulation outlines a ban on smoking in 10 designated locations, including healthcare facilities, schools and educational institutions, places of worship, children’s playgrounds, public transportation, and sports facilities.

The governor also proposed zoning regulations for cigarette sales, which would prohibit vendors from selling tobacco within a 200-meter radius of schools, places of worship, playgrounds, and healthcare facilities.

Additionally, digital tobacco advertisements will be more closely monitored, with new rules to enforce penalties for violations through online channels.

“We must quickly regulate online tobacco promotions and implement digital penalties to curb the spread of cigarette ads to young people,” Pramono said.

To support enforcement, the Jakarta Provincial Government is preparing several measures, such as forming a dedicated task force to monitor smoke-free zones, deploying tools to detect airborne nicotine, and establishing public reporting channels for violations.

The initiative is part of a larger strategy to promote a child-friendly and smoke-free Jakarta.

Based on the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) conducted by the Ministry of Health, the number of active smokers in Indonesia is estimated to reach 70 million people, with 7.4 percent of them aged between 10 and 18.

Children and teenagers are the fastest-growing group of smokers. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) showed that smoking prevalence among school-aged children between 13 and 15 years old increased from 18.3 percent in 2016 to 19.2 percent in 2019.

SKI 2023 data also revealed that the 15–19 age group accounted for the highest proportion of smokers at 56.5 percent, followed by the 10–14 age group at 18.4 percent.

The use of e-cigarettes among teenagers has also increased over the past four years. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2021, the prevalence of e-cigarette use rose from 0.3 percent in 2019 to 3 percent in 2021.

Add as a preferred source on Google +