Singapore will require social media platforms to run robust and reliable age checks rather than accept a user’s word, and has told them that platforms whose safeguards fall short could have their minimum age raised above 13.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong set out the plan at the National Day Rally. Most platforms already set a minimum age of 13, but enforcement is left to the companies, many of which rely on users to declare their own age. Wong said that approach is “not working well,” and that he had been struck by how many children were already active on social media during visits to primary schools.
“If its safeguards remain inadequate, we will consider additional restrictions, including raising the minimum age for access to that platform beyond 13,” he said. The government has not specified which verification methods platforms will have to use.
Age checking is one of two strands. The government is also examining how platforms are built for teenagers aged 13 and above, and in particular the features that encourage users to keep scrolling, clicking and returning. Wong said those mechanics are hard enough for adults to resist and carry greater risks for teenagers, whose brains are still developing and who are more exposed to social pressure. He cited figures showing one in six young people aged 10 to 24 in Singapore has signs of problematic social media use, with some spending six or seven hours a day on the platforms.
The requirement adds to controls Singapore has already placed on how apps reach young users. Since April, app stores serving the country have had to screen users estimated to be under 18 and stop them downloading age-inappropriate apps. The week before the rally, the Singapore Police Force issued three codes of practice under the Online Criminal Harms Act covering Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram, requiring stronger advertiser verification and proactive disruption of scams.
Other governments have written a minimum age into law rather than imposing a duty to verify. New Zealand this week introduced a bill barring under-16s and naming facial age estimation and digital ID among permitted methods, and Britain set out its own under-16 plans with age assurance at the centre.
Sources: Marketing-Interactive
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
