Singapore eyes Australia’s strict social media law for teens

Govt considers age limit measures to protect young users, following Australia’s landmark 2024 ban on under-16s accessing the platforms

4:59 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Singapore is seeking to align its approach to age limits for social media access with Australia’s efforts to protect young users, with the Ministry of Digital Development and Information engaging both Australian authorities and social media platforms to better understand their perspectives.

The city-state’s Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam told Parliament that the government is actively studying the effectiveness of such policies and engaging with Australian counterparts as well as social media companies, the Straits Times reported.

In one of the strictest moves to curb online harms, Australia passed a law late in 2024 prohibiting children under the age of 16 from accessing social media.

While the specifics of enforcement remain unclear, with the law set to take effect in March 2025, Members of Parliament in Singapore have questioned whether similar measures could be adopted locally to enhance protections for children and teenagers on social media platforms.

Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) raised the issue, asking: “What is the Government’s current assessment of the effectiveness of such bans in protecting young users from online harms?”

In response, 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.”

Rajayu further highlighted the complexity of considering a ban, noting the need to assess how violations by young users would be evaluated and how to tackle the potential migration to unregulated platforms.

She pointed to ongoing efforts, including the introduction of the Code of Practice for Online Safety in 2023, as part of the government’s commitment to safeguarding children on social media. – January 7, 2024

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