PUBLISHED ONSeptember 09, 2026 6:05 AMBYKoh Xing YingIt may not be practical for the Government to regulate every setting or activity involving children, said Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming in Parliament on Wednesday (Sept 9).
He was responding to a question from MP Yip Hon Weng on whether a registry and risk-based inspection regime would be introduced following a child abuse case involving young foreign students staying at a private educational facility.
"It is already an offence for a person to ill-treat the child if he has custody, charge or care of the child," said Goh.
While he said that it is "not practical" to create a regulatory regime for every setting or activity involving children, he said the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) and other offences under the Penal Code provide a broad framework to deter against child abuse.
"Parent should also exercise due diligence by making reasonable checks on their choice of service provider and monitor their child's well being," he said.
The senior minister of state also said the Government is considering expanding criminal record screening for prospective employees applying for roles involving sustained contact with children and young people, including in non-regulated sectors.
Responding to Yip's question on whether regulation has kept pace with hybrid business models, Goh acknowledged that the market would continue to evolve and find new ways of meeting demand.
"It may not be practical for the Government to go in and regulate every single sector," he said, noting that some sectors may be immature, still developing or transient.
The Government would instead focus on regulating more mature, stable and broad-based sectors that are widely used by Singaporeans, said Goh.
"The CYPA provides the ultimate safety net at the bottom to ensure that anyone providing services that concern children will be subjected to those laws to protect and take care of our children."
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com
