IKEA's cheeky National Day Rally trendjack has us feeling less single

IKEA Singapore has jumped into the National Day Rally conversation with a cheeky message for singles, following online chatter around the Government’s expanded childcare leave measures.

The Swedish furniture retailer took to Instagram with a post featuring its SLATTUM upholstered single bed frame, accompanied by the line: “And to our singles, we have not forgotten you. Everyone mattress.”

The caption added to the wordplay with a simple: “Support for all (literally).”

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The post comes after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the National Day Rally on Sunday (23 August) that working parents will receive eight to 12 days of childcare leave, depending on the number of children they have. The Government will also fully fund statutory child-related leave as part of a wider expansion of family support.

The announcement prompted plenty of discussion online, including comments from singles questioning whether there were measures aimed at supporting those without children.

IKEA's post appears to play directly into that conversation, swapping childcare support for a different kind of support, a single bed.

Meanwhile, closer to the marketing industry, Wong also announced plans for social media platforms to strengthen age checks and introduce greater safeguards for young users.

Platforms will be required to introduce “robust and reliable” age checks to ensure their minimum-age requirements are properly enforced. Most social media platforms currently set a minimum age of 13, but enforcement largely relies on users self-declaring their age.

Wong said this approach is “not working well”, pointing to the number of children already active on social media during his visits to primary schools.

The Government is also looking at how platforms are designed for teenagers aged 13 and above, particularly features that encourage users to endlessly scroll, click and return to platforms.

Under the planned measures, platforms serving young users will be required to introduce stronger safeguards. Wong warned that if these remain inadequate, the Government could consider further restrictions, including raising the minimum age for access to a platform beyond 13.

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