A new code will be introduced to require mobile app stores to implement age assurance measures to protect children from downloading apps that are inappropriate for their age.
The Code for App Distribution Services, which will also require designated mobile app stores to remove harmful content in online games and marketplaces, comes on the heels of amendments to the Broadcasting Act.
The amendments, which took effect in February 2023, allow the Singapore authorities to direct social media services to swiftly disable access to egregious content.
“One pressing challenge that demands close attention is online safety,” said Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on July 5. “Around the world, governments recognise the urgency of this issue, and they may resort to legislation. In Singapore, too, we have not shied away from changing our laws when there are good reasons to,” she said during the Digital for Life partners’ appreciation event held at the National Gallery Singapore.
She did not give further details on the proposed code or when it might be introduced.
In 2023, however, Teo had said that the upcoming code would require app stores to deal with harmful content by putting in place a classification system for online games, for instance.
Downloads on popular mobile app services such as the Apple App Store and Google Play are currently rated by age appropriateness, with restrictions based on the age of the registered user.
In November 2023, tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook, called for laws requiring app stores to introduce age controls and parental consent requirements.
On July 2, Australia’s online safety regulator gave companies in the tech industry six months to come up with an enforceable code to prevent children from accessing adult content.
The proposed Code for App Distribution Services will complement the Code of Practice for Online Safety, which took effect in July 2023.
The latter required social media firms with significant reach, such as Instagram and Facebook, to put in place systems to limit Singapore users’ exposure to online harms, including content promoting terrorism, cyber bullying, or those that may incite racial or religious tensions.
However, in other areas, legislation may not be the only answer, said Teo, who is also Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity. Other countries have introduced laws restricting screen time for children, to varying levels of effectiveness, she noted.
She cited legislation introduced by South Korea in 2011 prohibiting children under 16 from playing online video games between midnight and 6am.
This law was limited in that it did not cover mobile gaming or social media use by children, she stated, noting it was eventually abolished in 2021.
Meanwhile, the state of New York in the United States passed a Bill this week requiring parental consent for children to see content recommended by a social media platform’s algorithm.
“But there are going to be enforcement challenges because, for example, how do you ensure that the consent actually comes from the child’s parent or that the child does not circumvent the measures by using an adult account,” said Teo.
Such challenges reflect the fact that online safety and the appropriate use of technology are multifaceted issues without clear-cut answers, she said.
Addressing problems such as social media addiction among children may require a more holistic solution, rather than relying on legislation, she said.
“We must ask what other factors contribute, such as whether parents are equipped to provide guidance, or whether the children have adequate access to activities in the physical world that not only engage them but which also help them find joy and meaning.”
In June, it was announced that Singapore would introduce measures to deal with device usage here in the coming months.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, patron of the Digital for Life movement, also attended the partners’ appreciation event.
The movement aims to encourage Singaporeans to embrace digitalisation and build a digitally inclusive society together. — The Straits Times/ANN
