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That ability to assess what they encounter online is something young people need to develop alongside stronger safeguards, experts said.<\/span><\/p>\n Assoc Prof Williams from NTU said that preparing young people for the online world requires more than teaching them how to use digital tools safely and competently.<\/span><\/p>\n In Singapore, he noted that digital literacy efforts have tended to emphasise practical skills and online safety, such as using apps, avoiding scams and protecting personal information.<\/span><\/p>\n What young people also need, he said, is an understanding of the systems behind what appears on their screens, including how companies profit from their online behaviour, what they give up in privacy and how digital technologies can influence their habits, beliefs and relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n He said such issues could ideally be taught in schools, but that doing so would require educators to acknowledge that some mainstream economic practices and systems do not always serve individuals’ best interests.<\/span><\/p>\n Experts also stressed the importance of youths’ offline lives as a counterweight to whatever they may encounter online.<\/span><\/p>\n SHINE Children and Youth Services, a social work organisation, said trusted adults and offline communities can provide young people with stable relationships where they can question ideas and make mistakes without losing their sense of belonging. Sports, interest groups and volunteering can also give them sources of purpose and connection outside the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr Games said parents need not understand every platform, but should remain interested in their teenager’s world.<\/span><\/p>\n “Teenagers \u2026 need adults who are willing to understand them,” she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr Ong, the senior consultant at IMH, likewise advised parents to encourage honest conversations about online experiences, listen without judgment and offer support rather than blame.<\/span><\/p>\n Drawing on her experience with stepdaughter Renee, Ms Janice said this meant looking past the most visible signs, such as clothing or makeup, to understand what was happening underneath.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think what’s more important is to just be constantly asking: ‘What do you mean by that?'” she said. “You may not always get a straight answer, but at least there is a line of communication that’s open.”<\/span><\/p>\n Several youths described how supportive relationships helped them gain distance from what they were consuming online. For instance, Aldrin said having older friends and parents he felt comfortable talking to gave him space to share what he was hearing from schoolmates and exposed him to perspectives that challenged those ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n For Ms Wu, support came from an older girlfriend who helped her “distinguish between online content and what was actually good” for her. She said parents should similarly try to understand not just what their children are doing online, but what difficulties may be drawing them there in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n Asst Prof Wong from SMU cautioned, however, against responding to harmful ideas by simply replacing them with another set of beliefs adults deem “correct”.<\/span><\/p>\n Young people need room to question what they are told, disagree and make up their own minds, he said. Organisations working with them should likewise involve them in shaping the spaces they participate in.<\/span><\/p>\n “As much as we have our own institutional goals of attracting youth, we all have a collective responsibility to ensure that youths are not exploited at vulnerable phases of their lives for nefarious gain,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n For Renee, pulling herself out began with recognising that the routines and standards she was chasing were making her miserable. “I don’t want to feel like this forever,” she recalled thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n She gradually drifted away from friends she felt were bad for her, reconnected with her parents and leaned on friends she could confide in. She also returned to interests she genuinely enjoyed, such as anime, comics and browsing bookstores, while becoming more selective about what she watched online.<\/span><\/p>\n