REACH (Telegram) 150 - What are your views on the current measures in place to protect youths online? What are your views on a tiered or age-based access system to social media for youth?
(SK)
20 Jul 2026 (10am - 7pm)
REACH (Telegram)
[20/7/2026 9:23 am] REACH Singapore: Dear Contributors,
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Megan π
[20/7/2026 9:30 am] REACH Singapore: π’ Topic π’
Social media platforms that fail to meet child safety standards could be blocked for users under 18, while those that do could continue offering access to young users, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo said on Friday (Jul 17).
Speaking at a forum on child online safety organised by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Institute of Policy Studies, Mrs Teo said discussions pointed towards a "differentiated landscape" where access hinges on whether platforms can provide a safe environment for children.
π¬ What are your views on the current measures in place to protect youths online? What are your views on a tiered or age-based access system to social media for youth?
π Government’s Priority
Restricting access is "not the starting point" and "not the preferred outcome", she stressed. The government's priority remains working with platforms to strengthen safety features so children can keep accessing digital services more safely.
Her remarks build on an earlier proposal for tiered or age-based access, under which younger children could be barred from certain platforms while older teenagers gain access gradually as they develop the maturity to navigate online spaces.
π Existing safeguards
Singapore already has several age-related safeguards in place. These include Codes of Practice for Online Safety, age assurance requirements for apps and annual reporting obligations for social media platforms.
"The idea that we can kick them off (social media) completely is not a very realistic one," Minister Teo said, noting that children today grow up without a clear separation between online and offline life. Protecting children from harm is "only part of it", she added. Preparing them to navigate digital spaces responsibly matters just as much, if not more, in the long run.
π Tiered Access to Social Media
Summing up the discussions at the forum, Minister Teo said there was broad support for tiered access and stronger expectations that tech companies take responsibility for designing safer platforms.
She said safety should extend beyond moderating harmful content to features that shape user behaviour, such as recommendation algorithms, design elements that encourage constant use and the ability to interact with strangers.
"If we really want to create a child-safe environment, making sure it doesn't stop at the border called content but instead goes into considerations that define the features, the design of these services, is something that has also come across very loudly and clearly.”
Beyond regulation, she said ensuring children's online safety requires a whole-of-society effort spanning government, industry, educators, parents and young people.
π https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/social-media-ban-children-under-18s-josephine-teo-6260356
π https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/age-based-access-safer-system-design-on-social-media-needed-in-singapore?ref=latest
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[20/7/2026 10:01 am] REACH Singapore: [ Poll : 1. I am confident in the Government’s approach to ensure a safer social media environment for youths. Share your reasons in the chat! ]
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Neutral
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
[20/7/2026 10:01 am] REACH Singapore: [ Poll : 2. A tiered age-based approach to social media access for those under 18 is an effective way to protect youths online. Share your reasons in the chat! ]
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Neutral
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
[20/7/2026 10:03 am] REACH Singapore: Dear Contributors,
Please take a moment to participate in our polls and share your opinion.
The poll questions are pinned for easy reference and your vote is anonymous.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic!
π¬ What are your views on the current measures in place to protect youths online? What are your views on a tiered or age-based access system to social media for youth?
Thank you.
Megan π
[20/7/2026 10:59 am] 365: Platforms will use the laziest method, and use it as an excuse to collect data. The best way is to go back to parents teaching and guidance of their own children. If parents really care for their child, then stop making excuses for why you can't do it.
[20/7/2026 11:19 am] Kai Bin in reply to REACH Singapore:
> Dear Contributors, Please take a moment to participate in our...
Set age restrictions for users under 18, do not let kids or youths under 16 to access social media
[20/7/2026 11:20 am] Adam: Wonder which platform will have the first data leak
[20/7/2026 11:20 am] Adam: And if data leak, what kind of slap on the wrist
[20/7/2026 11:24 am] Adam: By this logic, we should also restrict access of elders to social media. They are vunerable and get scammed often. In fact, bad actors are more likely to target elders with their nest egg
[20/7/2026 11:25 am] Adam: Would be funny if the govt dares to do that
[20/7/2026 12:08 pm] RY in reply to REACH Singapore:
> π’ Topic π’ Social media platforms that fail to meet child safety...
Glad that SG Govt has also taken a similar approach like Australia, that have some restriction for youth accessing to media platforms in consideration for their online safety
It shd be all parties efforts - govt/school/parent/child for this policy to succeed
[20/7/2026 1:00 pm] Jun Ming: How would you enforce it? I can fake my age to register account
[20/7/2026 1:00 pm] Jun Ming: We got an example in Australia. Where kids continue scrolling despite the ban
[20/7/2026 1:02 pm] Jun Ming: Back then when I am in primary school I already create Facebook account liao
[20/7/2026 1:11 pm] Daniel: I think this is an important topic. Some features of social media are proven to be harmful to everyone (including adults) and I would welcome overall regulation to reign in these specific features (such as Infinite scroll or amplifying extreme content). Because as other said above, whatever age restrictions put in place, there will be a way around.
[20/7/2026 1:12 pm] G: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/faishal-ibrahim-resigns-over-online-messages-with-a-female-member-of-the-public
[20/7/2026 1:48 pm] Berry R in reply to G:
> https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/faishal-...
π³π±π€―
[20/7/2026 1:48 pm] Berry R: Who is taking over his MP duties? Wonder what actually happen! But think there is a stricter approach to personal conduct for ministers, MPs…
[20/7/2026 1:50 pm] G in reply to Berry R:
> Who is taking over his MP duties? Wonder what actually happen!...
Perhaps this is another reason for GRCs? π
Then don't need to hold by-elections π
[20/7/2026 2:15 pm] Adam in reply to G:
> https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/faishal-...
This is all because of social media. Social media is unhealthy and addictive. Like porn and drugs. Must regulate and ban for adults and children. Even MP succumb to its temptations
[20/7/2026 3:13 pm] REACH Singapore: π’ Topic π’
[20/7/2026 3:23 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
1. My family, sbilings family, and close circle friends' families don't have children yet.
2. But for the safety of the young ones - to prevent access to online harm at young age - I support restricted access to online social media.
3. Imposing social media platforms to restrict the young ones from undesirable content - is an appropriate move - as business must have social responsibilities to ensure their content and services must not be monetize or weaponise to cause harm to the young ones.
4. This is a minimal responsibilites expected of the Business, Government and Societies - to protect our innocent young ones.
[20/7/2026 3:34 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
The list of Countries that have restricted access or ban of young children in social media platforms are :-
- China
- North Korea
- Iran
- Turkmenistran
- Russia
Minors and Child-Safety Age Limits
Ban under 16
- Australia
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Turkey (ban under 15)
- UAE (ban under 15)
Propose Bans (Proposed or drafted landmark laws to ban children under 15 or 16 from major platforms)
- UK
- France
- Greece
- Denmark
- Spain
- Canada
Proposed restricted access to children under 18 (not full ban) - block for platforms that fail to meet child safety standards
- Singapore
Source :- Google Gemini AI
[20/7/2026 3:35 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ) in reply to LCL (Danny εΏ):
> The list of Countries that have restricted access or ban of...
Singapore approach to child safety standards online - is the mildest among all Countries.
[20/7/2026 3:40 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
Online protection of young children below 18 is similar to physical protection - to prevent our young from harm in the adult world.
So I don't see any disparity - between online and physical.
In fact it is an action to bring online safety up to the same safety standard of physical safety for young children.
[20/7/2026 3:44 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
Eg. When crossing a major road full of traffic, we expect an adult to hold the hand of a young one - to cross the road safely.
We don't expect the adult to let the young one cross the road by themselves.
This is the responsibility expected of the adult on young children.
[20/7/2026 3:48 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
Likewise when the young one surf the dangerous world wide web full of danger, we expect the community, business, society and the government to lead, restrict, guide or block harmful content from influencing our young ones and affect their development at their formative age.
Just like our parents, schools, work, communities to guide the young ones not to befriend bad influence but good ones so that they develop wholesomely and not subject to bad influence, turn bad and harm the society or harm themselves or family members or their social circles.
[20/7/2026 3:51 pm] 365: Yes, we expect the guardians of the child to be guiding them, not set an ID scanner at the road to determine if the person should be blocked from crossing the road.
[20/7/2026 3:52 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
If social media can radicalise adults to become terrorists.
What is more about radicalizing young children to be terrorists warriors?
[20/7/2026 3:53 pm] Daniel in reply to 365:
> Yes, we expect the guardians of the child to be guiding them,...
But we also expect there to be traffic lights, ovrrpasses and pedestrian crossings for them to be able to safely cross the road. Right now there are no such things on the Internet.
[20/7/2026 3:55 pm] 365: So the internet is like your road between blocks that do not have all these, the point stands that it then falls on their guardians to guide them across, not set automatic blockades that require ID verification. The current implementation always falls back to ID verification.
[20/7/2026 3:59 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ): Eg
In kindergarten, porno, extreme content, killings, violence etc should be blocked and ban from children.
Schools and parents and government cannot allow schools or parents to bring porno books, violent books - and let and guide children see porno and extreme content - and then say these are bad, now we guide you.
You can see as long as we guide you.
Can we?
[20/7/2026 4:02 pm] 365: You do know that all these content are not exclusive on just social media platforms right? If the implementation is for them to block access based on self declared age, I'm fine. If one wants to overdeclare their age and expose themselves, it is on them and their parents to guide them back to not lying and understanding potential risk.
If the implementation escalates to data collection, especially something as sensitive as ID, then it's a problem.
[20/7/2026 4:03 pm] 365: Even if all the social media adhere to whatever policies are set up, what's stopping a motivated child from searching porn using the search engine? Do we regulate that also?
[20/7/2026 4:04 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ):
In fact, I prefer all the undesirable contents like terrorism content, violence, porno etc to be blocked regardless of age.
They don't make people good.
But harm people regardless of age.
[20/7/2026 4:05 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ) in reply to LCL (Danny εΏ):
> In fact, I prefer all the undesirable contents like terrorism...
If such contents are blocked in mainstream media and TV channels, rightfully social media should also be blocked.
[20/7/2026 4:07 pm] 365: This will allow people to decide what is good or bad for you accordingly then. Is US attacking Iran terrorism? Some may argue it that way, so we block it? Should all movie screenings in Singapore remove violence also? Any genres depicting sexual or suggestive scene, similar to what has appeared in titanic, all removed from screening?
[20/7/2026 4:08 pm] 365: Going in accordance to this logic, if mainstream media and TV channels do not show, why should cinema show it?
[20/7/2026 4:10 pm] 365: This allows whoever is in power to decide what is good and bad, and then what to show and what not to. Taken to an extreme spectrum, anyone can correct if I'm wrong, investing in equity is considered gambling by Muslims, so if the one in power takes the view that gambling is bad and should block on all platforms, then all equity investment sharing should be blocked.
[20/7/2026 4:11 pm] Adam: Singapore is a node of internet traffic. We can block certain objectionable content from the whole region. To do so, we also will need to sniff traffic passing by our borders. If data is encrypted it should be blocked too just like chinas great firewall
Data companies will love setting in such a place for being a bastion of morality and ethics. Why is singapore currently letting despicable data passing through our fibers.
Even if the data isnt destined for singapore ip, it will eventually harm people overseas
[20/7/2026 4:13 pm] 365: I support, at best, requesting social media platforms to make content accessibility based on *self-declared* age, not request of additional data, especially personal.
The remaining responsibility is on the onus of parents to teach their child not to intentionally bypass it, similar to how you teach your child traffic rules so they can cross safely when you're not with them.
[20/7/2026 4:35 pm] μ¬μμΉκ΅¬, 첫μ¬λ π in reply to Berry R:
> Who is taking over his MP duties? Wonder what actually happen!...
Should be talked about more here eh hahaha.
[20/7/2026 4:46 pm] LCL (Danny εΏ) in reply to LCL (Danny εΏ):
> Many stealth warships - St kinetic design....
Correction:-
Stealth warships - ST Marine.
[20/7/2026 4:55 pm] Jun Ming: I think google play will auto block registering account if they use sign up with google right
[20/7/2026 4:57 pm] Jun Ming: I am thinking maybe a cross verification on different platform and temporary lock down the account
[20/7/2026 5:10 pm] REACH Singapore: π’ Topic π’
[20/7/2026 6:45 pm] REACH Singapore: Dear Contributors,
⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰
Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.
Goodnight!
Megan π
[20/7/2026 7:01 pm] REACH Singapore: Dear Contributors
We will be closing the chat for today.
Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.
Goodnight!
Megan π
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