The Government is intending to implement mandatory age checks for designated social media platforms as it seeks to provide tiered access to the young due to safety concerns.
This is one of the safeguards for teenage users to be introduced early next year, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo in a Facebook post on Monday (31 Aug).
Source: ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash
Mrs Teo noted that most social media services already require users to be at least 13 years old
But the requirement is “easily circumvented” if they are allowed to self-declare their age, she said.
Thus, the Government will make age assurance mandatory for social media services, starting with the following six, she told The Straits Times:
These platforms will be able to propose appropriate methods that will ensure “robust and effective implementation”, she added.
Source: Josephine Teo on Facebook
Another measure the Government is considering is a daily default time limit for each platform, which parents will be able to adjust, Mrs Teo said.
While there is no “magic number”, a time limit can help curb excessive social media use, she noted.
This is because it can serve as a “natural stop point” against certain features that may be responsible for problematic use, such as “doomscrolling”.
Other safeguards for young users being explored are restrictions against unwanted direct messages from strangers and design features like autoplay.
Autoplay, which may also contribute to problematic social media use, should be disable by default for younger users, she said.
Parents will be able to adjust the settings if they wish, she added.
Source: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
While Mrs Teo acknowledged that children below a certain age should not have access to social media, she said the Government prefers not to ban teenagers from social media.
But teenagers should be able to access social media with stronger safeguards, in what she described as “tiered access” based on developmental stages.
This means younger users will get “training wheels” from the age of 13 to 17, as they learn to navigate the challenges of social media.
They will proceed to a “fuller experience” when they are older and “more ready”, she maintained.
However, if a platform cannot or does not want to implement “sufficiently strong” safeguards for teenage users, the Government is prepared to raise its minimum age of access to 18.
The plan is to introduce legislative amendments over the safeguards mentioned by early 2027, Mrs Teo said.
This will include prescribing enforcement powers needed to make these requirements effective, she noted, adding:
Our approach is to embrace (technology) on our own terms and reap its benefits, while remaining attentive to its risks and being prepared to act where stronger protections are needed.
These moves come after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed the issue of problematic social media use during his National Day Rally speech on 23 Aug.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore on YouTube
Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to this as their brains are still developing, he said, adding:
Many social media platforms are designed with features to keep users endlessly scrolling, clicking and coming back for more.
Thus, the Government will require platforms that want to serve young users in Singapore to build in stronger safeguards, for example “robust and reliable” age checks, he maintained.
Also read: M’sians under 16 may be banned from social media from 2026 in govt bid to keep kids safe online
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Featured image adapted from Josephine Teo on Facebook and ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash.