Japan and Singapore consider social media restrictions for youth

Governments and citizens in Japan and Singapore are exploring measures to regulate social media use among children and adolescents to combat digital addiction.

A survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency reveals that a majority of Japanese citizens aged 15 to 39 support restricting social media access for children. Support is highest among women aged 35 to 39, exceeding 70 percent. However, support is lowest among teenagers, with some 15-year-olds showing less than 50 percent agreement regarding age-based restrictions.

In Singapore, Minister for Communications and Digital Development Josephine Teo announced discussions with social media platforms to introduce daily time limits. The government is also considering stricter regulations, such as disabling ‘autoplay’ features and addressing ‘infinite scroll’ to create natural stopping points for users. These efforts follow data from the Ministry of Health indicating that one in three Singaporean youths aged 15 to 17 use social media for more than three hours daily, with many showing signs of problematic usage.