Singapore is struggling with device addiction

SINGAPORE (ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES) – Singapore is set to unveil new device usage initiatives across the island nation as the pervasive influence of electronic devices and social media continues to shape everyday life.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli made the announcement on June 21 in separate Facebook posts.

Underlining the urgency of the situation, ministers stressed the need to take more decisive and effective measures to regulate device usage habits, especially among young people.

Citing research showing adverse effects and links to worsening mental health, they emphasized the importance of proactive intervention.

“We can make our advice clearer and more definitive; we need to deliver them consistently across health care settings, including more reminders; we need to put them into practice in kindergartens; and we must find ways to encourage their adoption in the country,” the ministers said.

“We will finalize and announce these initiatives over the next few months.”

Their comments come after US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called for a warning label on social media platforms for young users, arguing that social media has been associated with harm to teenagers’ mental health.

He argued that the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency and that social media, which is supposed to cause addiction, likely plays an important role in it.

“While some commentators disagree with this hypothesis, in the event of an emergency, Dr. Murthy argued that we cannot afford to wait for the debate to end. We must act and implement appropriate measures now,” Ong and Masagos wrote in their Facebook posts.

“The starting point is screen time for the youngest children aged 0 to 6 years. This shapes their social media usage habits,” they said, adding that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) oversee key points of contact with children up to the age of six, through child care and maternity care and pre-school care.

Ministers said the impact of screen time on child development is a focus of local research project Gusto – Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes, which followed children conceived in 2009.

The Gusto study examines how conditions during pregnancy and early childhood affect the health and development of women and their children.

One of the study’s findings showed that ubiquitous screen time when a child is 12 months old changes brain activity before the child is two years old.

It also negatively affected executive functions – a set of mental skills such as self-control and working memory – once the child reached the age of nine.

“Another study found that screen time during infancy contributes to the persistence of individual differences in the topological restructuring of the brain. “Simply put, screen time threatens young children’s brain development,” the ministers said in their posts.

They added that another, yet unpublished study examined how a child’s mental health is affected by the link between brain development and executive functions.

Ministers said the Ministry of Health and MSF had discussed the issue of screen time in recent months and shared the concerns expressed by Dr Murthy. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also said tackling mental health is a national priority.

They said: “The impact of social media on mental health is not an unintuitive concept. Today, young minds are exposed to information, interactions and behaviors for which they are not mature enough; takes time away from physical play and interaction, all of which can have a huge impact on them as they grow up.”

In March 2023, MOH issued a formal recommendation on screen use in children, based on emerging evidence at international and local levels.

For children under 18 months of age, parents are advised to discourage screen use unless it is intended for interactive video calls.

For children aged 18 to 36 months, it is recommended to limit total screen use to less than one hour per day. Older children are advised to avoid screen use during meals and one hour before bedtime.

Ministers said health workers regularly and routinely provide such advice to expecting parents in Singapore’s public hospitals and polyclinics.

“Electronic devices and social media have become part of our lives. Our youth must use them properly to improve their lives and not inadvertently undermine their mental health,” they said.