Disabling autoplay by default, time limits for under-18s: Singapore plans to restrict teens from social media features

Teenagers in Singapore may soon be restricted from social media features such as autoplay and infinite scroll as the Government moves to protect young people from harmful use.

Blocking autoplay by default and implementing a daily time limit are among the safeguards proposed for the designated social media services to enact, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo in a media interview on Aug 28.

At the National Day Rally on Aug 23, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about the risks of prolonged social media use on children and teenagers, who are "more easily hooked by features designed to keep them constantly engaged".

He emphasised that platforms must act to enforce an under-13 ban as well as build stronger safeguards for teenage users; otherwise, the minimum age of access would be raised.

Expanding on PM Wong's speech, Teo said on Aug 28 that Singapore aims to introduce by early next year the necessary legislative changes, which will apply to the designated social media services Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, HardwareZone, X, and YouTube.

The first concern is enforcing the minimum age of 13 set by most social media platforms themselves.

It will be mandatory for all six designated services to introduce age assurance measures to prevent children from creating and managing accounts, said Teo.

This can be done through processes including age verification, age estimation, and age inference.

"We already make this a requirement for app stores, and the approach that we take is to ask the app stores what method they think will work for them.

"They give us a proposal, we look at it, and if it sounds reasonably robust, we will allow them to implement it," Teo shared, adding that her ministry performs regular audits to ensure effective implementation.

The Government will continue this approach for social media platforms.

@asiaone Singapore is working towards new laws that will make age assurance compulsory for designated social media services available in Singapore - Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, HardwareZone, X, and YouTube - as part of stronger safeguards to protect children under the age of 13 from online harms, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo. #sgnews #Singapore #Online #Safety #Children #SocialMedia ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Beyond enforcing age assurance measures, Teo said Singapore wants to cultivate healthy digital habits from young, pointing to the Screen Smart From The Start campaign launched this year.

"(Age assurance measures) should operate within an overall environment where our children and teenagers know that there is such a thing as...excessive and problematic use, and that it is worth paying attention to when one might fall into such patterns and supporting friends and peers to avoid doing so," she said.

Stronger social media safeguards

Turning to how young users should be protected when using social media, the minister pointed to an expert panel convened by the Ministry of Health, which recently recommended addressing harmful platform features instead of implementing a blanket age ban.

The panel found that direct messaging features could risk the safety of young users and raised how infinite scroll and autoplay functions are potentially associated with problematic or addictive social media use.

@asiaone Following the Expert Panel on impact of social media on mental health's recommendations on excessive and problematic social media use, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said the Government is exploring the introduction of a daily time limit, which will act as a natural stop point to address features such as infinite scroll. #sgnews #Singapore #Online #Safety #Children ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

She said they are evaluating the possible safeguards to tackle such concerns.

"We are interested in what they can do to protect teen users against 'stranger danger' or direct messaging by people who are not known to them.

"We also want to look at features such as algorithmic feeds and autoplay, and we want platforms to think about introducing stronger safeguards around these."

Singapore is asking for autoplay to be disabled as a default setting for teenage users, with an option for parents to allow access if they deem their child ready.

Teo explained: "No two teens are alike — they mature at different speeds, and parents are probably in a better position to assess their child's needs holistically and make a considered decision on whether to adjust a given setting."

On the infinite scroll feature, a daily time limit could enforce a "stop point".

While the "magic number" has yet to be determined, Teo referenced the report by the expert panel and alluded it would be less than three hours.

"(A daily time limit) is really a reminder that we should engage in other aspects of our lives. It can only be one of a set of societal actions to help teens engage with the world around them outside of social media.

"The measures have to be thought of holistically, and we should not be overly fixated on what the number is."

And if the social media platforms are unable or unwilling to implement such stronger safeguards, the Government will bar under 18s from accessing it.

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Asked how the authorities intend to ensure young users do not circumvent the measures, Teo stressed the need for societal support, especially for parents to guide their child to navigate the digital landscape.

Based on engagement sessions, teenagers have also acknowledged that social media safeguards will help them, but do not want to be restricted completely.

"The message is that if the safeguards are reasonable, they are prepared to accept them because they know we are respecting their desire to connect with their friends through social media, rather than asking them to get off it completely," she said.

Singapore's approach to social media age restriction can be viewed through the lens of "training wheels", Teo added.

"In our case, (social media) is a service that comes with safeguards, and a fuller experience when a young person is more ready at 18 and beyond."

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com