EXPERT PANEL SUBMITS KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT HEALTHIER AND SAFER SOCIAL MEDIA USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

          The Expert Panel on the Mental Health Impact of Social Media Use has submitted its report to the Government, with its findings and recommendations to support healthier and safer social media use among young people.

2           The Expert Panel was convened by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in September 2025 to examine existing evidence on the impact of social media use on young people’s mental health. Please refer to Annex A for the composition of the Expert Panel.

3           In parallel, MOH commissioned the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health to review the international evidence base. The review informed the Expert Panel’s deliberations and underpinned the recommendations set out in the report.

Key Findings

4           The Expert Panel noted that the impact of social media use on young people is shaped not only by the duration of social media use and the content they encounter, but also by how they use social media, including the nature of their online interactions and the extent to which social media displaces activities essential to their health and well-being.

Adolescence as a Period of Heightened Vulnerability

5           Adolescence is a critical developmental period when they are going through biological and psychological transitions. During this formative stage of development, young people are more sensitive to social feedback and influences. As they are still developing emotionally and cognitively, young people may not be well-equipped to manage the social pressures online, critically evaluate online content, or recognise manipulative design features built into social media platforms. As mental health conditions often emerge during adolescence, the negative impact of social media on young people’s mental health could potentially have lasting consequences.

Excessive and Problematic Social Media Use

6        The Expert Panel distinguished between excessive and problematic social media use, noting that not all social media use carries the same level of risk. While excessive social media use is defined by the amount of time spent on social media platforms, problematic social media use is characterised by persistent, compulsive or addiction-like patterns of use. The Panel noted that problematic social media use was more consistently associated with poorer well-being than time spent on social media alone, suggesting that addressing problematic patterns of use may require different policy and intervention responses.

7            In Singapore, one in three young people aged 15 to 17 spent more than three hours on social media daily, while one in six young people aged 10 to 24 showed signs of problematic social media use. These figures suggest that a significant proportion of young Singaporeans are engaging with social media in ways that may place their mental health at risk.

Impact of Excessive and Problematic Social Media Use on Young People’s Mental Health

8            While the current evidence does not establish clear causation, the Panel noted a growing body of research showing associations between excessive or problematic social media use and adverse mental health outcomes. These include anxiety, depression, lower life satisfaction and well-being, body image concerns, and problematic eating behaviours. The Panel noted that problematic social media use and poor mental health may be mutually reinforcing, with each worsening over time.

9           Young people experiencing anxiety or depression may turn to social media for comfort or connection. However, in doing so, problematic social media use may deepen over time and displace healthier forms of support and regulation, creating a vicious cycle. Heavy social media use can also disrupt sleep, affecting emotional regulation and mental health. Beyond clinical symptoms, problematic social media use has been consistently associated with lower life satisfaction and lower levels of mental well-being, with the negative effects on life satisfaction found to be strongest during early adolescence. Frequent exposure to idealised portrayals of lifestyles and appearances on social media may encourage social comparison, contributing to body image concerns, depressive symptoms and problematic eating behaviours among some young users.

Social Media Features of Concern

10         Beyond patterns of use, the Expert Panel identified specific platform features that may be particularly problematic for young people’s mental health.

a.    Features that may expose users to safety risks

Direct messaging functions may expose young users to safety risks, including cyberbullying, harassment, and inappropriate contact from unknown individuals. The use of anonymous or pseudonymous accounts may further reduce accountability and make harmful online behaviour more difficult to detect and address.

b.    Features that may prolong the time users spend on platforms

Infinite scroll and autoplay functions may have been deliberately designed to maximise user engagement, which may contribute to problematic or addictive patterns of social media use. By removing natural stopping points, these features encourage users to remain engaged for prolonged periods beyond what they originally intended. For young users, this can displace physical activity, in-person socialising and other activities essential for healthy development.

c.    Features that may worsen mental health outcomes

Algorithmically-curated feeds may amplify exposure to distressing or harmful content. As distressing or emotionally provocative content tends to generate higher engagement, recommendation algorithms may draw users deeper into harmful content, even when a user's initial interest was benign. Separately, quantified social feedback mechanisms, such as visible “like” counts and follower metrics, encourage social comparison and validation-seeking behaviours, with potential negative effects on self-esteem and emotional well-being, may accelerate the onset of internalising symptoms among vulnerable young people.

Current Regulatory Measures and Public Education Efforts in Singapore to Promote Safe and Healthy Use of Social Media

11         Singapore has progressively put in place a range of regulatory and public education measures to promote safe and healthy social media use among young people. The Code of Practice for Online Safety – Social Media Services requires Designated Social Media Services to put in place systems and processes to minimise exposure to harmful online content for Singapore users, particularly children. The Infocomm Media Development Authority also publishes an annual Online Safety Assessment Report that assesses the presence, comprehensiveness and effectiveness of online safety measures implemented.

12         Beyond regulation, the Government has put in place multi-agency efforts to foster healthy digital habits among younger users. These include MOH’s Guidance on Screen Use in Children that discourages the use of social media for those under 12; the Ministry of Education’s Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, which includes Mental Health and Cyber Wellness lessons; and the nationwide “Screen Smart from the Start” movement, which supports families in building healthy digital habits from an early age.

13       At the industry level, several social media platforms have started introducing features intended to support safer use among young users, such as differentiated accounts with stronger parental controls for younger users. Some have also stepped up to work with partners, such as community partners, to co-create resources that help parents guide their children in fostering healthy digital habits from young.

14       These efforts provide an important foundation, and the Government will continue to do more to protect users, especially children, online.

Expert Panel’s Recommendations

15         The Expert Panel has considered the evidence on the potential negative impact of problematic social media use on young people’s mental health, weighed against the possible benefits that social media may bring. On balance, the Panel is of the view that the cost of inaction is too high, and therefore makes the following recommendations:

a.    Adopt a precautionary and proactive approach to regulating social media use among young users. Definitive causal links between problematic social media use and adverse mental health outcomes have not yet been established, and conclusive causal evidence may take years to emerge. However, the evidence of association is clear and sufficient to act on – many jurisdictions have already done so in some form, recognising that waiting for certainty is not a responsible option.

b.    Make social media safer for young people by addressing potentially harmful platform features, rather than restricting access completely. Some jurisdictions, including Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Indonesia, have responded by raising the minimum age for young people to access social media. The Panel acknowledges the intent behind such measures, but is concerned that blanket age-based restrictions do not distinguish between harmful and beneficial uses of social media, and risk being counterproductive should young people easily circumvent age restrictions. As far as possible, the Panel prefers a more durable and proportionate response to make social media safer by design so that young people can navigate it safely, rather than simply deferring social media use. This includes addressing features that may expose users to safety risks, prolong the time users spend on platforms, or worsen mental health outcomes.

c.     Strengthen age assurance measures to more accurately identify users’ age. Robust age assurance measures are a necessary foundation for regulating social media access for young users. Where platforms cannot reliably determine whether a user is a child or an adult, age-appropriate safeguards cannot be meaningfully applied or enforced.

d.    Empower young people to navigate the online environment in safe and healthy ways, and support their parents in guiding them to do so. Social media offers young people meaningful opportunities to learn and connect, but it also presents risks to their development and well-being. Recognising that online environments have become an increasingly important part of young people’s daily lives, young people should be well-equipped with the critical judgement and thinking, and digital habits to navigate online environments in safe and healthy ways. Parents should also be supported with relevant knowledge to confidently guide their children in developing these capabilities.

e.    Promote a whole-of-society response, recognising that no single intervention is sufficient on its own. Safeguarding young people’s safety and well-being in the online environment requires a collective effort from families, schools, healthcare providers, community partners, platform operators, and the government. Together, they can foster young people’s healthy digital habits, build their emotional resilience and critical thinking skills, and strengthen their ability to form and sustain meaningful in-person relationships, while working to create safer online and offline environments.

16         The Government thanks the members of the Expert Panel for the significant time and effort dedicated to reviewing evidence for social media use and its impact on young people’s mental health. The Panel’s findings and recommendations will help inform ongoing efforts to strengthen support for young people’s mental health and promote safer digital experiences for young people. The full report is available on the MOH website at https://go.gov.sg/expert-panel-report-on-social-media-use.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

30 JULY 2026

Annex A

Composition of the Expert Panel on the Mental Health Impact of Social Media Use