S'pore getting Aussie views on setting age limits for access to social media

Singapore shares the same objectives as Australia in legislating age limits for social media access to protect young users and is engaging its Australian counterparts and social media platforms to understand their views, said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament on Jan 7.

- Osmond Chia

In one of the strictest internet crackdowns on online harms to date, Australia late in 2024 passed a law banning children under 16 from accessing social media.

While it is not entirely clear how the Australian law would be enforced when it kicks in later in 2025, MPs here have asked whether Singapore would consider similar measures to further safeguard children and teenagers on social media platforms.

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) asked: "What is the Government's current assessment of the effectiveness of such bans in protecting young users from online harms?"

In her reply, Ms Rahayu said: "The stated objective of legislating age limits for social media access is to protect children and youth from its harms.

"We share the same objective and will continue to study the effectiveness of mandating age limits."

In considering a ban, factors such as how the authorities will evaluate the severity of violations by young users and how to address the shift to unregulated platforms will need to be carefully examined, said Ms Rahayu.