Screen Timeout
Excessive device use often a coping mechanism for deeper issues, say experts
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Social service agencies ST spoke to echoed the view that screen time cannot be treated as a standalone issue.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
- Singapore schools now ban mobile phones during school hours due to concerns about excessive screen time affecting children.
- Experts say excessive screen use often reflects deeper issues like stress, anxiety, or family problems, needing comprehensive support.
- The Straits Times launches a year-long series to raise awareness and support families in managing screen time and promoting balance.
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SINGAPORE – Something is not right with the way our children are growing up with screens, and the hold the gadgets have over them.
Until the end of 2025, recess periods in many Singapore schools looked worryingly familiar.
Students stream out of classrooms, their eyes glued to the cellphones clasped in their hands. As they make their way to the canteen, they masterfully tackle going down the stairs without lifting their gaze from their devices.
Conversation is sparse at the canteen tables. Most have their cutlery in one hand, and a mobile phone in the other.
In 2026, that picture has begun to change. In January, the Ministry of Education (MOE) rolled out stricter rules to bar students from using mobile phones
The move stems from growing concern over how deeply screens have become embedded in children’s daily lives.
Outside the school gates, the grip of screens on young people is hard to miss.
At a Whampoa hawker centre, three brothers – aged eight, five and three – sit at a table every evening in front of their parents’ zi char stall.
Dressed in matching T-shirts, they sit quietly from 4pm to 10pm, each absorbed in their own device – iPad or cellphone. Their parents do not have a helper or any other family member they can rely on for after-school care.
Like many working families, they are doing their best to manage the long work hours and childcare demands. Yet seeing the boys locked into the same routine day after day for years raises uneasy questions about what childhood looks like for many families today.
Similar scenes play out in restaurants as well. Families sit around the same table, yet conversation is minimal. Children watch shows or play games on their devices, while adults scroll on their own phones.
It is against this backdrop that The Straits Times is launching a year-long screen time series
Beyond raising awareness of screen time issues, the series aims to support parents and caregivers in reducing children’s reliance on devices from the early years through adolescence, and start conversations about play, boundaries and balance.
Looking past screens
The dependence on screens is a surface-level issue, experts say.
Dr Melvyn Zhang, senior consultant psychiatrist at the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said excessive screen use often reflects deeper struggles.
It can be a manifestation of underlying issues such as academic stress or family issues, anxiety or depression, he said, adding that young people may turn to screens to cope with their emotions or escape life stressors.
Social service agencies ST spoke to echoed his view – that screen time cannot be treated as a standalone issue.
“Excessive screen use is rarely the core problem. It is often a coping mechanism for deeper emotional, relational or developmental needs,” said Ms Adelyn Tan, a psychotherapist and founder of HiDolphin, which provides counselling services for youth and families.
Said Ms Tan: “When children do not feel emotionally safe or lack the skills to regulate their feelings, screens become a quick and reliable escape.
“At the same time, busy or overwhelmed parents may unintentionally rely on screens to fill the gap during stressful periods.”
Boredom is another underlying issue, said Ms Andrea Chan, the group head of TOUCH Counselling and Psychological Services.
“It is like an itch they can’t scratch, an uncomfortable feeling that they are not yet equipped to handle.
“The easy accessibility of digital devices often makes them a go-to solution, and the constant stream of stimulation can be highly addictive, leading to extended periods of screen time,” she said.
Lacking the maturity and skills to manage screen time responsibly also makes young children vulnerable to screen dependency and addiction issues, said Ms Chan.
Agencies have over the years observed children being exposed to screens at increasingly younger ages, sometimes from infancy.
That said, most cases they have seen are not yet classified as addiction.
So there is room for intervention, and the effects can be reversed, they say.
Preventing a chokehold
Singapore has taken some decisive steps, even if it has not gone as far as Australia to ban social media for those under 16 recommended screen use limits for young children
Recent local research shows why this issue is hard to ignore.
A nationwide study by IMH found that nearly half of Singaporean youth aged 15 to 21 have problematic smartphone use
The study, published in the August 2024 issue of the Asian Journal Of Psychiatry, defined problematic smartphone use in terms of dependence, time spent on devices and the problems caused.
These include feeling anxious or irritable without one’s phone, physical discomfort such as wrist or neck pain, and difficulties concentrating during lessons or at work.
The social service agencies told ST that while clear differences between how boys and girls engage with screen time are not apparent in younger children, these become more visible as they grow older.
Boys tend to gravitate towards gaming and may turn to digital spaces for anonymity and connection when they struggle socially in the real world.
Girls, on the other hand, are more likely to engage with social media or video content, and may be more affected by related stressors, such as body image concerns, anxiety over comparisons, peer approval and cyberbullying.
Still, these are broad patterns, and individual behaviours vary widely depending on family environment, access to devices and social support.
Amid all these issues, Ms Chan said parents may feel overwhelmed and struggle to keep pace with their children’s digital lives.
“Like trying to navigate a foreign country without a map, parents may not be familiar with the digital landscape their children are exploring... and lack the knowledge to set clear online boundaries or effectively utilise parental controls,” she said.
Ms Chong Kaiwei, a senior psychotherapist from Promises Healthcare, said that while screens have become the most visible source of tension in many families, they are rarely the root cause.
Addressing screen time concerns is less about removing devices, she added, and more about understanding why they have become so important in a child’s life.
Said Ms Chong: “Helping parents and children make sense of what the screen use represents often opens the door to more meaningful change.”
