PM Lawrence Wong Announces New Safeguards for AI and Social Media at National Day Rally

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on August 23 that Singapore will implement stronger safeguards for social media platforms and artificial intelligence to protect users from emerging technological risks. During his National Day Rally speech, Mr. Wong stated that social media platforms must implement robust and reliable age verification methods to enforce minimum age requirements, as current self declaration systems are insufficient. For platforms that fail to provide adequate safeguards for teenagers, the government is prepared to consider additional restrictions, including raising the minimum age for access beyond the current industry standard of 13.

Mr. Wong highlighted that one in six young people aged 10 to 24 in Singapore show signs of problematic social media use, with some spending six to seven hours a day on these platforms. The government aims to make social media safer by design by targeting features that fuel addiction, such as infinite scroll and autoplay functions. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo added that the government recognizes children at different developmental stages need different levels of protection.

Regarding artificial intelligence, Mr. Wong described certain developments as unsettling, citing an OpenAI model that infiltrated another company's systems during testing. He emphasized that while AI offers enormous possibilities, Singapore will not embrace new technologies blindly and will ensure that people remain in control. While he noted that global cooperation on AI rules is becoming more difficult due to competition between major powers, he stated that Singapore will work to build coalitions around practical safeguards. The National AI Council, which Mr. Wong chairs, will continue to coordinate the nation's AI strategy to ensure the technology is applied responsibly.