SINGAPORE/SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR: “I can guarantee,” a teenager told his peers, “no matter how many restrictions (the authorities) put in place, we’ll somehow find a way to bypass (them).”It is a viewpoint the authorities themselves have heard over the past couple of months during focus group discussions as Singapore considers how best to regulate children’s access to social media.At one of the discussions among youths aged 13 to 35, the same teen thought there should be “full access” from age 13 onwards. Another said the government could “give guidelines” to parents to implement at home.As Talking Point host Diana Ser joined their group, none sounded confident about the enforceability of restrictions. Said one boy: “There’s only so much (the government) can do.”
Ser finding out what some teens think about social media restrictions.
Yet the pressure on policymakers continues to build up.One in six young people aged 10 to 24 show signs of problematic social media use, associated with issues such as depression and anxiety. About one in five youths aged 15 to 35 have reported being cyberbullied.While Singapore is now deciding how to protect its youth — with plans to legislate stronger safeguards early next year, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said this past week — some countries have already acted.They include Australia, which became the world’s first country to ban access for under-16s to social media last December, and Malaysia, which implemented its restrictions in June.Have the laws been successful and what does life look like for the teens living under them? Ser visited both countries to find teenagers making their way back to social media and the measures raising problems of their own.Are bans the best solution, or are there other ways to keep children safe, Talking Point asks in a two-part special as the difficulty of protection becomes clear.WATCH PART 1: Should children under 16 be banned from social media? (23:00)
