Requesting Meta to Deploy Teenage Usage Restriction in Singapore

Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information arising from the lawsuit settlement against Meta in the US recently and Meta's agreement to restrict teenagers' usage of Meta platforms, whether the Ministry will consider requesting (i) Meta to do the same in Singapore and (ii) other social media platforms to adopt similar measures to restrict access by teenagers in Singapore.

Mrs Josephine Teo: We have been engaging with Meta, as well as other designated social media services, on age assurance measures and stronger safeguards to better protect children in Singapore. They are similar to safeguards which Meta has agreed to introduce for Facebook and Instagram as part of the settlement in the United States (US). Such safeguards will also apply to children aged below 18, which is aligned with Singapore's preference.

While the US settlement is a useful reference point, our approach will ultimately be guided by Singapore's context and expectations of online safety. To support our specific set of requirements for platforms, we plan to introduce the necessary legislative amendments by early next year.