S'pore govt to introduce legislation in early 2027 to strengthen safeguards for young social media users
The legislation will focus on age assurance and safer platform features.
In early 2027, the Singapore government plans to introduce legislation to enhance safeguards for young social media users, according to the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI). The new legislation will focus on age assurance and safety platform features. Age measures will require social media platforms to implement effective age restrictions, in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA).
Safety platform features aim to make social media safer by design, which includes restrictions on inappropriate content, unwanted contact, and platform features like autoplay and daily time limits. The government is also considering turning autoplay off by default, with parents having the option to adjust this setting.
Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo mentioned that excessive use is a significant concern for both parents and youth. On Oct. 24, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) released its first Online Safety Assessment Report (OSAR) for Designated App Distribution Services (D-ADSs), covering April 1, 2025, to Dec.
31, 2025. The OSAR evaluated the online safety measures of the five D-ADSs, including Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery, Microsoft Store, and Samsung Galaxy Store. While all D-ADSs had baseline safety measures, IMDA found that a small percentage of Huawei AppGallery users could bypass the age assurance method. Following engagement with Huawei, the company committed to addressing the issue.
IMDA also tested over 7,000 apps across the D-ADSs, discovering 65 apps with harmful content and 24 apps with incorrect age ratings. These apps were removed or re-rated after notification from IMDA. Since the ADS Code was introduced in March 2025, D-ADSs have stepped up efforts to implement online safety measures for Singapore users.
IMDA will continue to work with the D-ADSs to ensure effective implementation of these measures and address any identified gaps. Additionally, IMDA is partnering with government-supported pre-schools to introduce online safety curriculum lessons into their education, starting with over 100 K2 students from E-bridge pre-school.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
