SINGAPORE – A range of measures from facial scans to credit card and government identity verification is being rolled out in Singapore to control app downloads by those below 18, as app stores race to meet a March 31 regulatory deadline.
From April 1, app stores offering services in Singapore are required by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to screen and prevent users estimated to be below 18 years old from downloading inappropriate apps, such as those providing dating services or with sexual content.
App stores can do this either by checking government-issued identity documents, or by analysing facial age or online usage data, part of what are commonly known as age assurance measures spelt out in IMDA’s Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services.
The code applies to Apple, Google, Huawei, Samsung and Microsoft as they operate stores or online portals for downloading applications.
Google, which was the first to detail its age assurance plans in October 2025, said it is already analysing search terms and content viewed online, among other signals, to estimate every account holder’s age.
The company’s age assurance measures will be fully rolled out to all Singaporeans by March 31, Mr Clement Cher, Google’s head of government affairs for Singapore, told The Straits Times on March 27.
Age assurance checks require users to have a Google account, so its machine learning technologies can analyse usage behaviour associated with the account.
By March 31, Google’s age estimation tech will also be used to provide additional protections on other services it runs.
On YouTube, for instance, all users below 18 with a Google account will be sent reminders to take a break, and be restricted from repetitively viewing certain content, such as those idealising specific fitness levels or body weights, or promoting social aggression.
An automatic filter that blocks explicit and potentially offensive content – including nudity, graphic violence and gore – will be turned on by default on Google Search.
