SINGAPORE: Singapore will treat vaping as a “drug issue” and step up enforcement, toughening its stance on the electronic cigarettes that are illegal but increasingly rampant among youths in the country.
“So far we’ve treated vaping like tobacco – at most we impose a fine. But that’s no longer enough,” said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Aug 17).
In his National Day Rally speech, held at the Institute of Technical Education College headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Wong added that authorities will hence impose “much stiffer” penalties, including jail sentences and more severe punishments for those who sell vapes with harmful substances.
A “major public education drive” will also be mounted, starting in schools, institutes of higher learning and during National Service.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health will lead the efforts, said the prime minister, describing it as a “robust whole-of-government exercise”.
Earlier in his speech, Mr Wong noted how young Singaporeans today enjoy more opportunities than before and benefit from many advantages that did not previously exist.
But they also face a very different set of challenges that are more complex in some ways, he added.
“Every generation worries about negative influences impacting their young people,” said Mr Wong, citing how comics and rock music were once frowned upon.
“Today no one would consider these things harmful. But there are new risks and some of them are real.”
Vaping is one such serious concern, said the prime minister, noting that despite being banned, vapes are still being smuggled in.
Many of these vapes are laced with addictive and harmful substances, including etomidate – a fast-acting anaesthetic which can be dangerous when used outside a controlled medical environment.
Etomidate-laced vapes are known as Kpods, which have been in the spotlight in Singapore of late.
“The vapes themselves are just delivery devices. The real danger is what's inside,” said Mr Wong. “Right now, it's etomidate. In future, it could be something worse, stronger, far more dangerous drugs.”
Another concern highlighted by the prime minister in his National Day Rally speech was the impact of technology and artificial intelligence.
“Many parents worry that their children are spending too much time on screens,” said Mr Wong. “To be clear, this isn’t a new worry … But today’s environment is on a wholly different scale.”
“Everyone is online, always connected and always within reach on their phones, 24/7. So it's much harder for parents to set boundaries, or even to know what their children are doing."
Young people who become overly immersed in the virtual world may lose touch with the real one and grow up more socially isolated or exposed to harmful content, said Mr Wong.
This can chip away at their self-esteem, emotional development and mental wellbeing over time, he added.
Mr Wong also touched on the “growing unease” surrounding students’ use of AI, raising the example of a teacher who noticed his students’ essays improve almost overnight – only to discover that they had been using ChatGPT.
The worry is “that students may over-rely on Al and take shortcuts; that they may not make the effort to learn and master the fundamentals; and that ultimately, they may never learn to think for themselves”, the prime minister added.
Noting “huge upsides” to being digitally connected, Mr Wong urged Singaporeans to make full use of these technologies but at the same to 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,” said the prime minister.
This has to start from infancy – and the government will do more to support parents here, said Mr Wong.
He noted that some countries have passed new laws to tighten children’s access to the Internet and social media.
In November 2024, Australia banned children aged under 16 from accessing social media platforms. France and some US states have also restricted social media access for minors without a parent's permission.
Singapore is studying these countries’ experiences closely “to understand what truly works”, and will consider what more can be done to strengthen online safety for children, he added.
In schools, teachers play an important role in teaching students about cyber wellness, helping them become discerning and responsible users of technology, said the prime minister.
“That means don't blindly trust everything the internet or Al says. But question, reflect and form your own judgements,” he added.
At the tertiary level, students across all disciplines are learning digital skills, including how to build and use AI models to generate ideas and solve problems in their field, said Mr Wong.
With technology advancing so quickly, some parents may feel the need to start their children earlier, he added.
“But let's have a care. Because learning has never been just about packing in more content and knowledge. It's about developing the ability to think, to solve problems and to keep learning throughout life,” said the prime minister.
“And in this age of Al, what really matters are the human qualities that machines cannot replicate, character, values, empathy and a sense of purpose.”
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“So far we’ve treated vaping like tobacco – at most we impose a fine. But that’s no longer enough,” said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Aug 17).
In his National Day Rally speech, held at the Institute of Technical Education College headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Wong added that authorities will hence impose “much stiffer” penalties, including jail sentences and more severe punishments for those who sell vapes with harmful substances.
A “major public education drive” will also be mounted, starting in schools, institutes of higher learning and during National Service.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health will lead the efforts, said the prime minister, describing it as a “robust whole-of-government exercise”.
Earlier in his speech, Mr Wong noted how young Singaporeans today enjoy more opportunities than before and benefit from many advantages that did not previously exist.
But they also face a very different set of challenges that are more complex in some ways, he added.
“Every generation worries about negative influences impacting their young people,” said Mr Wong, citing how comics and rock music were once frowned upon.
“Today no one would consider these things harmful. But there are new risks and some of them are real.”
Vaping is one such serious concern, said the prime minister, noting that despite being banned, vapes are still being smuggled in.
Many of these vapes are laced with addictive and harmful substances, including etomidate – a fast-acting anaesthetic which can be dangerous when used outside a controlled medical environment.
Etomidate-laced vapes are known as Kpods, which have been in the spotlight in Singapore of late.
Related:
“The vapes themselves are just delivery devices. The real danger is what's inside,” said Mr Wong. “Right now, it's etomidate. In future, it could be something worse, stronger, far more dangerous drugs.”
TECH DOWNSIDES
Another concern highlighted by the prime minister in his National Day Rally speech was the impact of technology and artificial intelligence.
“Many parents worry that their children are spending too much time on screens,” said Mr Wong. “To be clear, this isn’t a new worry … But today’s environment is on a wholly different scale.”
“Everyone is online, always connected and always within reach on their phones, 24/7. So it's much harder for parents to set boundaries, or even to know what their children are doing."
Young people who become overly immersed in the virtual world may lose touch with the real one and grow up more socially isolated or exposed to harmful content, said Mr Wong.
This can chip away at their self-esteem, emotional development and mental wellbeing over time, he added.
Related:
Mr Wong also touched on the “growing unease” surrounding students’ use of AI, raising the example of a teacher who noticed his students’ essays improve almost overnight – only to discover that they had been using ChatGPT.
The worry is “that students may over-rely on Al and take shortcuts; that they may not make the effort to learn and master the fundamentals; and that ultimately, they may never learn to think for themselves”, the prime minister added.
Noting “huge upsides” to being digitally connected, Mr Wong urged Singaporeans to make full use of these technologies but at the same to 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,” said the prime minister.
This has to start from infancy – and the government will do more to support parents here, said Mr Wong.
He noted that some countries have passed new laws to tighten children’s access to the Internet and social media.
In November 2024, Australia banned children aged under 16 from accessing social media platforms. France and some US states have also restricted social media access for minors without a parent's permission.
Singapore is studying these countries’ experiences closely “to understand what truly works”, and will consider what more can be done to strengthen online safety for children, he added.
In schools, teachers play an important role in teaching students about cyber wellness, helping them become discerning and responsible users of technology, said the prime minister.
“That means don't blindly trust everything the internet or Al says. But question, reflect and form your own judgements,” he added.
Related:
At the tertiary level, students across all disciplines are learning digital skills, including how to build and use AI models to generate ideas and solve problems in their field, said Mr Wong.
With technology advancing so quickly, some parents may feel the need to start their children earlier, he added.
“But let's have a care. Because learning has never been just about packing in more content and knowledge. It's about developing the ability to think, to solve problems and to keep learning throughout life,” said the prime minister.
“And in this age of Al, what really matters are the human qualities that machines cannot replicate, character, values, empathy and a sense of purpose.”
Continue reading...