Singapore mulls daily social media limits for users under 18

Singapore is considering imposing daily social media time limits for teenagers as part of a wider set of mandatory safeguards aimed at changing how young users interact with platforms and potentially addictive features.

Legislative changes are expected to be tabled in early 2027, with social media platforms potentially required to introduce stronger protections for users under 18 or face having their minimum access age raised to 18, according to reports by CNA and The Straits Times (ST).

Speaking in a media interview on 28 August, minister for digital development and information Josephine Teo said daily time limits are being seriously considered as a way of creating a natural stopping point for features such as infinite scrolling.

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Other areas being examined include autoplay, algorithmic feeds and direct messages from strangers. CNA reported that the government is also looking at protections against unsolicited messages from people teenagers do not know.

No specific daily limit has been decided. Teo pointed to Meta's recently agreed social media limits in the US as a useful reference, while cautioning against treating any particular duration as a definitive measure of whether social media use is safe.

She also referenced findings from an expert panel convened by the Ministry of Health, which found that one in three social media users aged 15 to 17 spends more than three hours a day on social media, while one in six users aged 10 to 24 shows signs of problematic social media use.

Teo reportedly said the findings suggest three hours of daily use may be too long and that any eventual limit should be lower.

The proposed safeguards follow prime minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally speech on 23 August, where he said platforms serving users under 18 would be expected to introduce stronger protections.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, HardwareZone, X and YouTube will reportedly be the first six social media platforms required to implement age checks. Platforms that are unable or unwilling to implement the stronger safeguards could instead be required to raise their minimum access age to 18.

How will Singapore enforce social media age limits?

Age checks will play a key role in enforcing the proposed rules. Singapore reportedly intends to take a similar approach to age assurance requirements already imposed on app stores, where operators propose their own methods for determining users' ages and the government assesses whether they are sufficiently robust.

These methods broadly include age estimation, which uses information a platform has about a user to estimate their age; age inference, which uses similar information to determine an age range; and age verification, which checks a user's age against official records. Possible methods could include checking government-issued identity documents or credit card information, scanning faces or analysing users' online activity.

Teo said some of the areas covered by Meta's measures overlap with discussions Singapore has been having with the company, although the details of how they are implemented could differ.

For example, Meta agreed to allow parents to turn off autoplay for teenage users, while Singapore wants autoplay disabled by default, with parents given the option to switch it on.

Unlike countries that have pursued outright social media bans for younger users, Singapore is looking at a tiered model. Teo contrasted Singapore's proposed approach with countries such as Australia and Indonesia, where younger users can be prevented from accessing social media entirely.

Under Singapore's proposed approach, teenagers could continue accessing social media with additional safeguards before gaining a fuller experience from the age of 18.

The scope could eventually extend beyond the initial six social media services. Teo said gaming platforms, messaging services and AI chatbots could be added over time as research and public debate provide greater clarity around potentially problematic uses.

The proposed youth safeguards come as Singapore steps up its broader regulation of online platforms, including measures aimed at tackling scams across social media, messaging and eCommerce services.

Earlier this month, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) issued three Codes of Practice under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), requiring designated platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram to strengthen protections against scams and malicious cyber activity. The measures cover areas such as advertiser verification, suspected scam advertisements and unsolicited messages and calls.

Photo credits to Josephine Teo on Facebook.

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