*Beyond social media bans: Building a safer digital world for children*
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/beyond-social-media-bans-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-children
2026-05-12
By--- Josephine Teo is Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information.
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Many countries have banned or announced plans to ban social media for children.
What is Singapore’s approach?
At this stage, we are keeping our options open.
A ban sends a strong and simple signal: society does not accept the way social media has taken over the lives of many children.
Even if some find their way around the rules, the message is clear – there are better ways for children to be spending their time.
But if we accept that the digital experience is an integral part of children’s lives, bans alone may not bring about real changes in how children interact with social media or develop healthier habits online.
More research is needed to pinpoint exactly which aspects of social media needs fixing to be childsafe. In the meantime, there is growing evidence that certain features of social media can cause harm.
We know repeated exposure to excessive violence normalises aggression. We are troubled that paedophiles can abuse online anonymity to gain trust and groom our children. If adults struggle to resist the lure of algorithmic feeds and the temptation to watch one more video, what more our children?
Different offerings for different ages
For children under 13, our position is more straightforward. Young children should not be on social media platforms designed for older users.
In fact, the social media platforms’ terms of service already prohibit this, but they have little incentive to properly verify if a user is underaged. Governments must therefore step in to hold platforms accountable for implementing robust age assurance measures. This is an important first step we will require of designated social media services to keep users under 13 off their platforms.
For older children past a certain age, most parents recognise that it is neither realistic nor practical to keep them away from social media altogether, any more than we can curb their curiosity about popular music, celebrities or relationships. What parents want is for their children to have age-appropriate experiences on social media, like how children may watch a variety of films that are suitable for their ages, but not films with mature themes.
This is why some are asking whether banning older children from social media makes the environment safer, or whether it leaves them less prepared to navigate it later on. Could better outcomes be achieved through feature-based regulations that ensure age-appropriate experiences for all children?
Our thinking is to make social media platforms safer for older children – all the way up to age 18. This could mean offering them a differentiated service, one with “training wheels” before they acquire the maturity to independently navigate the full range of features on each platform.
Safeguards still needed
Some safeguards are clearly necessary and useful. For example, unsolicited messages sent by adult strangers to young users must be prohibited. Addictive design features that extend time spent on platforms should also be addressed.
In March this year, Los Angeles found Meta and Google liable for deliberately designing addictive features, like infinite-scroll feeds and autoplay functions, that had negatively affected children’s well-being.
New York has also passed legislation to prohibit platforms from providing addictive feeds to users under 18 without parental consent.
Undoubtedly, parents in the digital era also need better support to guide their children to make sense of their experiences online. Each family will want to develop their own rules, so children can cultivate digital habits consistent with their own values.
This is where platforms should have an obligation to provide parents with better tools, clearer information, and a simpler way to assess whether their safety designs are adequate.
Platforms may not be equally responsive to these expectations. Nor can we guarantee that every platform can be made safe enough for every child.
Ultimately, it is for each platform to decide whether it will modify its design so that older children in Singapore can access it safely. Those unwilling to do so will effectively be excluded from serving young users here. But for the platforms that are willing, we can work together to create a healthy, child-safe digital environment.
If we succeed, these safeguards may provide more effective scaffolding for children to navigate the digital world more safely. That is a goal worth striving for.
Josephine Teo is Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information.
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