The Government is looking at meaningful measures to combat addiction and exposure to harmful content for children, instead of simply banning them from social media.Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam was responding to a parliamentary question from MP Vikram Nair on whether Singapore will follow Australia’s landmark law of social media ban for children under 16.Nair said that the new regulations in Singapore requiring tech companies to restrict access to inappropriate content or verify the ages of their users — set to kick in by March — is a good first step to restrict children from accessing harmful content online.A clean block that puts the onus on social media platforms to verify the ages of their users like what Australia has done sets a clear line , Nair added.Rahayu said that such legislation sounds very attractive and seems like an obvious solution . But it is not a silver bullet — children in Australia have found ways to bypass such a law such by using virtual private networks or an adult’s account to access social media, she said.
Wednesday 18 February 2026
asiaone - 1 month ago
Social media ban for children attractive , but no silver bullet : Rahayu Mahzam
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