LSF Highlights Mental Health Issues in Film and Series Content: A Push for More Empathetic and Educative Censorship

Jakarta, May 26, 2025 — The Indonesian Film Censorship Board (LSF) has begun to pay special attention to the representation of mental health issues in films, series, and digital content. This initiative comes in response to the growing number of audiovisual works that explore themes such as depression, anxiety, suicide, and trauma—though not all of them portray these topics with sensitivity and responsibility.

According to the Head of LSF, mental health themes in film can serve as a powerful educational tool, but also carry the risk of causing harm if presented exploitatively or without proper context. “We want to ensure that representations of mental health do not trigger harmful imitation, especially among teenage and young adult audiences,” they stated.

LSF is now collaborating with psychologists, psychiatrists, and film experts to develop new censorship guidelines for high-risk content, such as scenes of self-harm, suicide, and the glorification of mental disorders.

In a public forum titled "Film, Censorship, and Mental Health: Where Do We Draw the Line?", many participants expressed concern that some films may provoke anxiety or psychological discomfort. On the other hand, several films were also recognized for helping audiences better understand the struggles of those with mental illness and for encouraging empathy.

LSF emphasizes that the purpose of censorship is not to restrict discussions around mental health, but to ensure that its portrayal is not harmful, not treated as a joke, and not oversimplified.

As a follow-up, LSF will introduce sensitive content warning labels (trigger warnings) for works that involve mental health issues, and will urge OTT platforms and production houses to include information about professional support resources at the end of such films.

“Films can heal, but they can also harm,” emphasized the LSF spokesperson. “Censorship is not meant to block stories, but to ensure those stories have a healthy social impact.”