Singapore parents welcome curbs on smartphone use in schools: ‘better late than never’
The city state is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents
There are some days when stay-at-home mother of three Lynn Lee finds her 15-year-old daughter watching drama programmes or playing games on her phone for hours on end, unaware of how much time has passed.
The 49-year-old, whose children are aged between 10 and 15, calls it an addiction and says her teenager’s screen time can be between eight and 10 hours a day despite parental controls that shut off her internet at 10.30pm.
According to Lee, the addiction has caused her daughter’s temperament to go haywire and affected her eyesight.
“It’s not because they’re not guai [well-behaved] but it’s really addictive and they do it unknowingly, so as parents we have to help them,” Lee told This Week in Asia.
Authorities have said that from 2026, secondary school students will not be allowed to use smartphones during school hours, including during recess and co-curricular activities. The smartphone ban was applied to primary schools earlier this year.