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View all search results‘I Must Die’ billboards trigger backlash over suicide messaging
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A woman walks past a promotional poster for the horror film “Aku Harus Mati” on April 6 at a Cinema XXI theater in a shopping mall in East Jakarta. (JP/Iqro Rinaldi)
P
romotional billboards for the horror film “Aku Harus Mati” (I Must Die) have drawn widespread criticism over concerns that they could encourage suicidal ideation, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children, amid rising mental health issues among the country’s youth.
The posters have been displayed on roadside billboards across Jakarta and several other cities since March 27 to promote the film, which premiered in cinemas on April 2.
Featuring the phrases “I Must Die” and “Sell My Soul for the Wealth” against the backdrop of a blue, red-eyed creature, the billboards have alarmed child protection advocates, despite being recently taken down.
Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Diyah Puspitarini warned that the phrase “i must die” could normalize suicidal behavior among children, who may lack the capacity to critically process such messages.
“Such words can affect children’s mental health because they are not yet able to properly regulate [or interpret] the information they receive,” Diyah told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Read also: Indonesia records high rate of depression, anxiety among children
She added that the messages could trigger suicidal tendencies in vulnerable children, noting that Indonesia already faces a relatively high prevalence of child suicide.
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