SINGAPORE- Singapore does not have a binary view on device use, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said, even as Australia passes a law by the end of 2024 ban social media for children under 16.
This approach of not banning devices is more challenging, but at the same time more practical, he said.
A local child development study called Growing Up In Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes found harmful cognitive effects when children are exposed to screen time before the age of two.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Mr Chan said the research showed that unsupervised consumption of videos for more than two hours could result in a drop in IQ by the time a child reaches seven years old.
For teens, he said, video games are the biggest concerns and how social media can impact self-esteem and lead to incessant comparisons with others.
Despite such potential dangers, students should not be discouraged from using devices but rather taught how to use them purposefully, he said.
“It’s a bit like discovering fire… Fire can be both good and bad. If you don’t know how to use it, you’ll burn everything. If you use it properly, you can cook with it and generate electricity,” Mr Chan said, adding that people should not be shielded from appliances and end up not knowing how to use them.
“We need to guide them on how to use the device and when to use the device.”
Schools already ban the use of cellphones during class, he said. Parents also need to manage the use of devices at home while understanding the needs of their children.
“A lot of it is role modeling. You can’t tell your child not to use the device, but we all play with it while eating.”
Referring to the use of personal learning tools in secondary schools, Mr Chan said that 75 percent of parents do not use the default settings of the device management apps installed in these devices.
However, half of the remaining parents want stricter controls and the other half question the strict measures.
“We both have extreme goals. If parents set it too tight, the child tries to find ways around it. If they do it too loosely, the child runs in all directions,” he said, adding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to this problem.
Rather, it’s about teaching children and parents to use devices in age-appropriate ways, he said.
Australia’s decision to pass a law banning social media for under-16s on November 28 is “interesting to consider”, Mr Chan said, but will be difficult to implement and will not solve all the problems arising from the use of social media among teenagers.
He said that while countries such as Singapore and India – which have identification systems to verify a person’s age – may implement such strict bans, there are ways around them.
He added that social media sites can find ways to circumvent countries’ laws if they have no incentive to adapt to national objectives.
If applied correctly at the right level, learning tools can be useful in the classroom, says Mr Chan. “You can actually improve your teaching and learning outcomes,” he said, adding that for high-ability students who are able to demonstrate self-control and use devices appropriately and responsibly, these are important tools to help them learn .
On the other hand, students with high needs should be helped gradually to ensure that they can develop skills to regulate how they use devices.
“We are not of the school of thought that says you have to have this blanket (set of guidelines),” he said.
But Mr Chan said the Ministry of Education is clear that students in primary schools will not be provided with their own personal learning resources. Instead, they will use shared devices available at school.
Educating all students about cyber wellness and cybersecurity is essential so they learn how to use devices responsibly, he said.
“There is never too young an age when they can’t learn. Even at a young age, I think it’s about inculcating habits.”
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