Deputy Minister YB Teo Nie Ching discusses about the upcoming ban on unlicensed social media platforms in 2025.
Transcript
00:00how to make sure social media or internet is actually safe for children.
00:05I think we must admit the responsibility, it is a shared responsibility.
00:11As parents, I am a Japanese mother of three,
00:14so do we allow our children to play handphone, to play iPad?
00:21Then of course, this is our responsibility to ensure that they don't,
00:27to monitor what type of content, what type of platform they access.
00:31So currently, my eldest is 12 years old, youngest is 8 years old.
00:35Usually, we will ask them to all sit in the living room when they use handphone.
00:39But of course, my eldest is getting older and older.
00:42She also expects privacy, etc.
00:45Then of course, as parents, we need to teach them what are the do's and don'ts.
00:49But again, on platform, by having all these algorithms, AI technology,
00:56they should put in better safeguard for our younger generation,
01:00especially those who are below the age of 18.
01:05I think the platforms will come and tell us that
01:08our guidelines actually doesn't allow anyone who is below the age of 13
01:13to have social media account.
01:16But the problem is, the reality is, how many children below the age of 13
01:23actually is already accessing all this TikTok or Facebook?
01:27Maybe they don't watch Facebook, they are too young.
01:29I mean, they think Facebook is for older generation.
01:33Mostly on TikTok and Instagram.
01:35Yeah, TikTok and Instagram.
01:37So, it cannot be just a policy, cannot be just a paper policy.
01:42What safeguard, what do you do to make sure that those below the age of 13
01:48do not actually have limited access to social media?