SINGAPORE: The government is seeking “meaningful ways of intervening” with social media platforms to keep the digital space safe for younger users, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on a podcast episode released on Monday (Aug 25).
One approach that is being studied is for platforms to adopt age assurance measures so that content is matched appropriately to the users’ ages, said Mrs Teo in an episode of CNA’s Deep Dive podcast with host Steve Chia and mother-of-two Jane Foo.
“There will always be unregulated spaces that children could wade into. But having said that, I think it cannot mean that everything on social media is free-for-all,” Mrs Teo said.
Age assurance refers to methods to determine a user’s age, such as by verifying how old the user is or by using data to make an estimation.
App stores are currently subject to age assurance obligations. Mrs Teo said in March this year that her ministry is studying whether this should also apply to social media services.
In response to CNA queries, a Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) spokesperson said it will “begin to engage designated social media services on similar age assurance requirements, implemented in ways that also ensure that their personal data is appropriately protected”.
MDDI added that age verification measures, using means such as credit cards or SingPass, will be rolled out for app stores by Mar 31 next year.
This means that app stores will have to require the use of credit cards or SingPass to ensure that young users under 18 do not access age-inappropriate apps, said the spokesperson.
In the podcast, Mrs Teo cited the example of a cinema, where there is typically an attendant at the entrance checking moviegoers’ IDs to verify whether they are of the right age to watch certain films.
“You have to think of it in the digital domain too,” Mrs Teo said.
While Singapore has already adopted age assurance measures for app stores, she said more can be done after the app has been downloaded.
“The concept is that even before they interact on an app, they first have to download it. So that’s one avenue for you to do age gating. Certain apps that are not appropriate for children and youths of a certain age, they shouldn’t download it,” she said.
However, after the app is downloaded, there remains the question of whether there is excessive or unhealthy use, said Mrs Teo.
“Even if they had moderate use in terms of time, what are they seeing when they go onto these platforms? And is there an understanding with the platform of what we can do on a data-driven basis?” she asked.
“I think those are the areas that we want to explore: what we can do better to nudge users, and to also ensure that, in terms of the content that they are exposed to, it is age-appropriate.
“I think these are the two things that we want to find meaningful ways of intervening.”
DISCUSSIONS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS
Mrs Teo said the authorities will discuss with the social media firms to get “a better assessment of what kinds of age verification are robust, and how do you implement age verification”.
This includes other ways in which age estimation is done, beyond just asking for a user’s ID in order to prove his or her age, said Mrs Teo.
Another measure being explored is the ability to estimate on a regular basis the age of a user and then adjust the content that this user is exposed to, she said.
Mrs Teo’s comments come a week after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s National Day Rally when he addressed the topic of protecting the young against the harms of the digital age.
