SINGAPORE: The government is seeking “meaningful ways of intervening” with social media platforms to keep the digital space safe for younger users, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on a podcast episode released on Monday (Aug 25).
One approach that is being studied is for platforms to adopt age assurance measures so that content is matched appropriately to the users' ages, said Mrs Teo in an episode of CNA’s Deep Dive podcast with host Steve Chia and mother-of-two Jane Foo.
“There will always be unregulated spaces that children could wade into. But having said that, I think it cannot mean that everything on social media is free-for-all,” Mrs Teo said.
Age assurance refers to methods to determine a user's age, such as by verifying how old the user is or by using data to make an estimation.
App stores are currently subject to age assurance obligations. Mrs Teo said in March this year that her ministry is studying whether this should also apply to social media services.
In response to CNA queries, a Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) spokesperson said it will “begin to engage designated social media services on similar age assurance requirements, implemented in ways that also ensure that their personal data is appropriately protected”.
MDDI added that age verification measures, using means such as
This means that app stores will have to require the use of credit cards or SingPass to ensure that young users under 18 do not access age-inappropriate apps, said the spokesperson.
In the podcast, Mrs Teo cited the example of a cinema, where there is typically an attendant at the entrance checking moviegoers’ IDs to verify whether they are of the right age to watch certain films.
“You have to think of it in the digital domain too,” Mrs Teo said.
While Singapore has already adopted age assurance measures for app stores, she said more can be done after the app has been downloaded.
“The concept is that even before they interact on an app, they first have to download it. So that's one avenue for you to do age gating. Certain apps that are not appropriate for children and youths of a certain age, they shouldn't download it,” she said.
However, after the app is downloaded, there remains the question of whether there is excessive or unhealthy use, said Mrs Teo.
“Even if they had moderate use in terms of time, what are they seeing when they go onto these platforms? And is there an understanding with the platform of what we can do on a data-driven basis?” she asked.
“I think those are the areas that we want to explore: what we can do better to nudge users, and to also ensure that, in terms of the content that they are exposed to, it is age-appropriate.
"I think these are the two things that we want to find meaningful ways of intervening."
Mrs Teo said the authorities will discuss with the social media firms to get “a better assessment of what kinds of age verification are robust, and how do you implement age verification”.
This includes other ways in which age estimation is done, beyond just asking for a user’s ID in order to prove his or her age, said Mrs Teo.
Another measure being explored is the ability to estimate on a regular basis the age of a user and then adjust the content that this user is exposed to, she said.
Mrs Teo’s comments come a week after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally when he addressed the topic of protecting the young against the harms of the digital age.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally on Aug 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
“There are huge upsides to being digitally connected – greater access to knowledge, more avenues to express ourselves, and new ways to connect with one another,” he said.
“But we must also be clear-eyed about the downsides, and manage them carefully. And that means striking the right balance – a balance between protecting our young from the potential harms, and equipping and empowering them to fully exploit the benefits of technology.”
Mr Wong had noted that some countries have passed new laws to tighten access to the internet and social media for children, and that Singapore is “studying their experiences closely to understand what truly works”.
Mrs Teo said in the podcast that Singapore’s policies guiding the use of digital devices for children are backed by science and research.
“I think the science on screen time is quite well understood,” she said, noting guidelines on screen use introduced this year by the education, health and social and family development ministries.
Children under 18 months old should get zero screen time. “Don't touch the device. It's best not to expose your kids at all, and don't normalise that behaviour for them so early,” said Mrs Teo.
Where it becomes more unclear is the type of content that children are exposed to on social media, with there being “quite a lot of debate around that”, noted Mrs Teo.
“I think regardless of where the research findings take us, even intuitively, we know that we don't want children to be exposed to overly sexualised images. We don't want the children to become victims of cyberbullying. We don't want children to see so much violence and somehow form in their minds that this is normal behaviour,” she said.
Within these limits, there is room for the authorities to work with the social media platforms to try and moderate such exposure, and help parents foster relationships where their children are willing to share with them what they are exposed to online, said Mrs Teo.
She added that there has to be a stronger sense of accountability when it comes to online interactions.
“If you want to have good behaviour be the norm, then anti-social behaviour, bad behaviour, has to come with a consequence. And the consequence sometimes is just that this content should be made to disappear,” she said.
She said the Online Safety (Relief & Accountability) Bill will be tabled after parliament reopens on Sep 5.
“The idea is that if people are harmed through their online interactions, there must be a way to get either the perpetrator or the platform to, in the first instance, remove the content so that you bring relief to the victim,” she said, adding that it also holds recalcitrant offenders to account.
Mrs Teo had first announced the draft law in March this year, when speaking on MDDI’s spending plans for the year. The Bill would establish the Online Safety Commission, a new government agency supporting victims of online harms, to be set up in the first half of next year.
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One approach that is being studied is for platforms to adopt age assurance measures so that content is matched appropriately to the users' ages, said Mrs Teo in an episode of CNA’s Deep Dive podcast with host Steve Chia and mother-of-two Jane Foo.
“There will always be unregulated spaces that children could wade into. But having said that, I think it cannot mean that everything on social media is free-for-all,” Mrs Teo said.
Age assurance refers to methods to determine a user's age, such as by verifying how old the user is or by using data to make an estimation.
App stores are currently subject to age assurance obligations. Mrs Teo said in March this year that her ministry is studying whether this should also apply to social media services.
In response to CNA queries, a Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) spokesperson said it will “begin to engage designated social media services on similar age assurance requirements, implemented in ways that also ensure that their personal data is appropriately protected”.
MDDI added that age verification measures, using means such as
This means that app stores will have to require the use of credit cards or SingPass to ensure that young users under 18 do not access age-inappropriate apps, said the spokesperson.
In the podcast, Mrs Teo cited the example of a cinema, where there is typically an attendant at the entrance checking moviegoers’ IDs to verify whether they are of the right age to watch certain films.
“You have to think of it in the digital domain too,” Mrs Teo said.
While Singapore has already adopted age assurance measures for app stores, she said more can be done after the app has been downloaded.
“The concept is that even before they interact on an app, they first have to download it. So that's one avenue for you to do age gating. Certain apps that are not appropriate for children and youths of a certain age, they shouldn't download it,” she said.
However, after the app is downloaded, there remains the question of whether there is excessive or unhealthy use, said Mrs Teo.
“Even if they had moderate use in terms of time, what are they seeing when they go onto these platforms? And is there an understanding with the platform of what we can do on a data-driven basis?” she asked.
“I think those are the areas that we want to explore: what we can do better to nudge users, and to also ensure that, in terms of the content that they are exposed to, it is age-appropriate.
"I think these are the two things that we want to find meaningful ways of intervening."
DISCUSSIONS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS
Mrs Teo said the authorities will discuss with the social media firms to get “a better assessment of what kinds of age verification are robust, and how do you implement age verification”.
This includes other ways in which age estimation is done, beyond just asking for a user’s ID in order to prove his or her age, said Mrs Teo.
Another measure being explored is the ability to estimate on a regular basis the age of a user and then adjust the content that this user is exposed to, she said.
Mrs Teo’s comments come a week after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally when he addressed the topic of protecting the young against the harms of the digital age.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally on Aug 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
“There are huge upsides to being digitally connected – greater access to knowledge, more avenues to express ourselves, and new ways to connect with one another,” he said.
“But we must also be clear-eyed about the downsides, and manage them carefully. And that means striking the right balance – a balance between protecting our young from the potential harms, and equipping and empowering them to fully exploit the benefits of technology.”
Mr Wong had noted that some countries have passed new laws to tighten access to the internet and social media for children, and that Singapore is “studying their experiences closely to understand what truly works”.
SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH
Mrs Teo said in the podcast that Singapore’s policies guiding the use of digital devices for children are backed by science and research.
“I think the science on screen time is quite well understood,” she said, noting guidelines on screen use introduced this year by the education, health and social and family development ministries.
Children under 18 months old should get zero screen time. “Don't touch the device. It's best not to expose your kids at all, and don't normalise that behaviour for them so early,” said Mrs Teo.
Where it becomes more unclear is the type of content that children are exposed to on social media, with there being “quite a lot of debate around that”, noted Mrs Teo.
“I think regardless of where the research findings take us, even intuitively, we know that we don't want children to be exposed to overly sexualised images. We don't want the children to become victims of cyberbullying. We don't want children to see so much violence and somehow form in their minds that this is normal behaviour,” she said.
Within these limits, there is room for the authorities to work with the social media platforms to try and moderate such exposure, and help parents foster relationships where their children are willing to share with them what they are exposed to online, said Mrs Teo.
She added that there has to be a stronger sense of accountability when it comes to online interactions.
“If you want to have good behaviour be the norm, then anti-social behaviour, bad behaviour, has to come with a consequence. And the consequence sometimes is just that this content should be made to disappear,” she said.
She said the Online Safety (Relief & Accountability) Bill will be tabled after parliament reopens on Sep 5.
“The idea is that if people are harmed through their online interactions, there must be a way to get either the perpetrator or the platform to, in the first instance, remove the content so that you bring relief to the victim,” she said, adding that it also holds recalcitrant offenders to account.
Mrs Teo had first announced the draft law in March this year, when speaking on MDDI’s spending plans for the year. The Bill would establish the Online Safety Commission, a new government agency supporting victims of online harms, to be set up in the first half of next year.
Continue reading...