....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

From January 2026, secondary school students will not be allowed to use smartphones and smartwatches outside of lesson time, such as during recess and co-curricular activities (CCAs), as part of tightened guidelines on screen use.

Currently, they are limited in their use of these devices only during regular lesson time.

The new tightened guidelines, which will also cover supplementary, enrichment and remedial lessons, align with the restrictions put in place for primary school pupils since January 2025.

The revised guidelines by the Ministry of Education (MOE) are part of a series of initiatives announced on Nov 30 to help children and their parents develop healthy digital habits.

MOE said in a statement that students’ devices will have to be kept in designated storage areas such as lockers or in their school bags during school hours.

Smartwatches fall under the guidelines as they enable communication through messaging and access to apps including social media, which can lead to distractions, passive screen use and reduced interaction with peers, it added.

“Where necessary, schools may allow students to use smartphones by exception,” the ministry said.

A ministry spokesman said some secondary schools had adopted these tighter guidelines after they were announced for primary schools, with positive outcomes. These included improved student well-being, enhanced focus, and more physical interaction during unstructured time such as breaks.

MOE said it also would bring forward the default time that personal learning devices are locked nightly to 10.30pm, from the current 11pm. This will kick in from January, meaning the devices will be on sleep mode nightly from 10.30pm to 6.30am.

“This can help students to manage device use before bedtime, and nudge them to sleep earlier,” it said.

Since 2021, secondary school students have had their own personal learning devices, which are school-sanctioned tablets or laptops – mostly iPads or Chromebooks.

Each personal learning device has a device management application installed on it, which allows schools to block access to undesirable internet content, such as pornography and gambling, and set screen time limits.

Outside of school hours, parents can opt for their child’s personal learning device to either keep to default management application settings, operate on modified settings, or disable the application entirely, which means the devices’ default screen time limits can be relaxed.

MOE said it strongly encouraged parents who had opted for less restrictive options to consider aligning with the 10.30pm shift.

Commenting on the revised guidelines, Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said in an Instagram post that while technology has become part of the education system and can be helpful in daily life, “we need to find a healthy balance and recognise that habits form early”.

The changes, she said, will support students in developing lifelong healthy digital habits.

She added that as a parent, she is concerned about the environment children grow up in.

“Even at pre-school age, my kids are already curious about screens and know how to swipe if given a screen,” she said.

Ms Lau said more details on the roll-out of the revised guidelines will be communicated through respective secondary schools.

The ministry spokesman added that this could be through start-of-year talks in schools, student handbooks, school websites and parent briefings.

Schools are given autonomy to formulate their discipline policies and school rules to align with MOE’s guidelines, to suit their student profile and the context, he said.

For misuse of smartphones and smartwatches, he added, schools typically work with students and engage parents to address the underlying issues and develop strategies to help students manage their use of these devices responsibly.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, he said those in junior colleges or Millennia Institute are expected to have developed sufficient self-management skills and discipline to use personal smartphones and smartwatches responsibly in school.

However, to minimise distraction, the use of these devices during lessons should still be restricted, and explicit permission should be given by the teacher. Device use outside of lesson time may be allowed when needed.

MOE’s announcement follows an update to the Ministry of Health’ screen use guidelines in January, which included, for instance, not allowing children under 18 months any screen time, and limiting screen time for those aged seven to 12 to less than two hours a day outside of schoolwork.

In that month, the authorities launched Grow Well SG, a national health promotion strategy aimed at helping children eat, sleep, learn, exercise and bond well.

A government survey published in September found that for teens aged 13 to 17, about a quarter of them spent more than four hours daily on digital devices during weekdays, with the number rising to nearly half on weekends.

At the National Day Rally in August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the Government will do more to support parents and make online spaces safer for children, and encouraged parents not to use phones as a babysitter.

To that end, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced two initiatives under Grow Well SG on Nov 30 – a series of digital parenting programmes, and a new children’s book on digital wellness.

The ministries said a range of digital parenting programmes will be rolled out from now until 2026, in collaboration with community partners, who will conduct the workshops in various modalities such as workshops and webinars.

These partners include Look Up Family, a digital wellness community that aims to help families manage digital life, TOUCH Community Services and YouthTechSG, a charitable movement dedicated to empowering young people in technology.

The ministries said the programmes will first be offered in areas with a higher proportion of young families, before they are expanded elsewhere.

Spokespersons for MDDI and MSF said workshops and talks are designed to support families with children and youth aged 0 to 18, with different programmes catered to families with children of different age ranges.

They added that more information on the programmes, including sign-up details, will be disseminated through local community networks.

On Nov 30, Look Up Family ran a pilot workshop in Bukit Batok, where parents shared about their digital parenting challenges and tips.

Separately, a new book called Timmy & Tammy: Guide To Digital Wellness was launched at the Bedok Public Library, by the Families for Life Council.

The book, targeted at children aged three to eight, features local characters and guides children on navigating online content safely, making responsible choices, and balancing digital and non-screen activities. It will be distributed to families under the ComLink+ scheme through social service offices.