MDDI's response to PQs on Social Media Platforms to Ensure Age Appropriate Use for Young Children

Parliament Sitting on 7 January 2025

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS

*54. Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information in light of the Australian Government’s recent move to ban social media access for individuals under the age of 16 through legislation (a) what is the Government’s current assessment of the effectiveness of such bans in protecting young users from online harms; and (b) whether the Government has plans to consider similar measures, or alternative regulatory approaches, to further safeguard children and teenagers on social media platforms in Singapore.

*86. Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) whether the Government assesses that there are more advantages as opposed to disadvantages in legislating for an age-limit on the use of social media access by young children and teenagers; and (b) if not, why not.

*98. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information in light of Australia’s recent move to ban social media for children under 16 and Albania’s announcement to shut down TikTok for at least a year, whether the Ministry is considering complementing the existing educational and counselling toolkit with regulatory interventions, such as requiring social media platforms to customise age-appropriate versions of their content for Singaporean children and teenagers.

Answer:

Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address PQ 6959 and PQ 7047 scheduled for today’s sitting and PQ 7078 scheduled for tomorrow’s sitting together.

The stated objective of legislating age limits for social media access is to protect children and youths from its harms. We share the same objective and will continue to study the effectiveness of mandating age limits. For example, how will the authorities assess the extent of violation? Where will the line be drawn if younger users turn to accessing unregulated platforms or services? We are engaging our Australian counterparts and social media platforms to understand their views. This will help inform our thinking on the next steps.

In the meantime, we have taken several steps to protect our children on social media. In 2023, we introduced the Code of Practice for Online Safety. It requires designated social media services to put in place measures to enhance the safety of Singapore users, including more stringent measures for children. Among other obligations, they must ensure children are not targeted to receive content that is detrimental to their physical or mental well-being. They must also have more restrictive account settings for children and provide tools for parents to manage their safety.

We have also taken decisive steps to require the implementation of age assurance methods, which have grown in availability and effectiveness, and can help to minimise children’s access to harmful online content. Such methods include age estimation using technology and age verification based on submission of official documents. Our upcoming Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services will require designated App Stores to put in place such measures to ensure that children access only apps that are appropriate for their age.

Even as we consider further steps to improve protection for children online, we are mindful that research findings on the impact of social media on children are not conclusive. While it has been linked to mental health issues, social media has also been shown to help children develop social skills and build connections with their peers.

This is why we have stepped up complementary efforts in public education to equip and educate parents and children on how to be safe online. We do this through Cyber Wellness lessons in the Ministry of Education’s Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum, as well as various initiatives such as Parenting for Wellness launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the Health Promotion Board, and the Online Safety Digital Resource Kit on IMDA’s Digital for Life (DfL) portal. These are complemented by efforts of industry and community partners, such as Google’s Be Internet Awesome Programme and Touch Community Services’ First Device Campaign.

We are constantly looking to do better, and I welcome Members and everyone’s suggestions. Ensuring online safety is a whole of society effort, and everyone can play their part.