22 July 2026
By Lisda Sundari – Bisnis Style
Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – National Children’s Day (HAN) should not only be an annual celebration, but also a momentum to measure the extent to which the state fulfills its obligations to protect children. In the Convention on the Rights of the Child that has been ratified by Indonesia, the best interests of children must be the main consideration in every policy that affects their lives. Therefore, children should be the beneficiaries of development, not part of the source of income from products that endanger their future. However, ahead of the HAN anniversary on July 23, and the deadline for the implementation of PP Number 28 of 2024 on Health on July 26, Indonesia is actually faced with a paradox that should be a joint reflection.
A study by the RUKKI Foundation which was disseminated with Lentera Anak in July 2026 found that around 2.03 million children aged 13–17 years old still consume cigarettes, spending more than 4.17 billion cigarettes throughout 2025 with a spending value of Rp4,49 trillion. From that consumption, around Rp2,23 trillion becomes state revenue through excise, VAT, and regional cigarette tax.
The figure of Rp4.49 trillion is not an economic achievement. But a reminder alarm that millions of children can still access addictive products easily. Furthermore, the findings present a question that cannot be ignored: “how is it possible that a child who should be legally protected from cigarettes actually produces income from the consumption of the product?” The problem is not that the state collects cigarette excise. The problem is that some of the receipts still come from a group that is legally not allowed to be a cigarette consumer. In the perspective of child protection, this condition is not just a fiscal issue, but a mirror that the child protection system is not fully able to prevent children from becoming consumers of addictive products.
The RUKKI study also showed that the prevalence of smoking was higher in the lowest socioeconomic group. It means, children who need protection the most face the biggest risk.
At the same time, spending on buying cigarettes reduces the space for the fulfillment of much more important needs such as nutritious food, education, and health. Meanwhile, the cigarette industry benefits from consumers who are not legally supposed to be their market.
The question is no longer why children smoke, but why the system still allows millions of children to become cigarette consumers.
Even though Indonesia already has Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 concerning the Implementation Regulation of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health (PP Kesehatan) which contains rules related to the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes.
Among them include a number of prohibitions such as the sale of cigarettes, advertisements in digital media and flavoring additives, the determination of the minimum age of buyers 21 years old, regulations for non-cigarette areas, illustrated health warnings and packaging standardization. All these policies aim to reduce the prevalence of child smokers and prevent the emergence of new smokers.
Paper Tiger Regulation
According to the mandate of PP Kesehatan, on July 26, all implementation rules should have been published and started to be enforced. However, the Ministry of Health has just confirmed the issuance of one policy, namely the Draft Regulation of the Minister of Health (RPMK) regarding Health Warning and Information on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes. What about the other RPMK? Has the process not been completed or deliberately postponed?
Why does the government seem less serious in reducing the prevalence of child smokers in Indonesia? Because without a guide to implementation, and enforced, the Health PP is just a meaningless document or a paper tiger. Whereas the government should make the momentum of HAN and two years of PP Kesehatan issuance to show an increasingly real support for the protection of children from addictive substances.
The government cannot continue to postpone the issuance of regulations derived from health PP and their implementation. The ban on selling to children must be implemented immediately. Retail cigarette sales and the use of flavoring additives must be stopped.
Cigarette marketing through digital platforms must continue to be monitored. Pictured health warnings and packaging standardization must be applied. All of them must be handled immediately before child addiction is more prolonged and beneficial to the cigarette industry. It’s time for the state to show stronger protection for children.
Every rupiah that comes from children’s cigarette consumption should not be celebrated as acceptance, let alone success, but rather a symbol of the state’s absence in protecting children.
The real measure of success is when there are no more children who become victims of nicotine addiction due to weak state protection. This year’s National Children’s Day, must be a turning point for the state’s side in protecting children’s health.