Excessive social media use can affect an individual’s mental health and shrink their social circle. Education Minister Desmond Lee said efforts to reduce screen time cannot be left to the government alone. Community organisations can also play a role by creating opportunities for residents to interact and encouraging them to put aside their phones and other electronic devices for a while.
Education Minister Desmond Lee visited Tampines East Community Club to learn about local initiatives during a ministerial community visit to Tampines East on Saturday (31 October). He was accompanied by Tampines GRC MP Dr Charlene Chen.
Speaking to the media, he said technology offers convenience, but over-reliance on social media and digital devices can have negative effects on mental health and other aspects of life.
Lee said: “Our social circles may shrink, and our ability to communicate with one another may be affected... not just our children, but we see adults, seniors, perhaps a bit over immersed in our digital lives, we want to counteract this by creating balance, and this is not easy work. So we need our communities, we need our grassroot to step forward, partner the government to create opportunities for people to set their phones away, to put their devices away, interact with family, interact with friends...”
He commended Tampines East grassroots organisations for introducing programmes for residents of all ages. These include mental health activities for young people, the Tampines East CAREkaki programme supporting people with special needs and their families, and Playdate @ Tampines East for children.
Playdate organises fun activities for children, such as gardening and nature exploration, to encourage them to reduce screen time while developing social skills and creativity. The Tampines East Youth Network also works with Animal Partners, an organisation providing animal-assisted activities, to plan programmes for young people. These include letting participants stroke Silkie chickens to create a relaxed setting that encourages conversation.
Chen, who oversees grassroots affairs in Tampines East, said she learnt about the animal-assisted activity at Nanyang Technological University, where she teaches. She hopes to bring it into the community to help young people relieve stress and interact with their peers.
Lee and Chen also launched the CAREkaki programme on Saturday morning. Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, said the government’s inter-agency Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities had recently announced a series of recommendations to support persons with disabilities and their families. Community initiatives such as CAREkaki support these efforts by giving people with special needs a platform to showcase their talents and enabling caregivers to support one another.
More than 5,000 families are registered with CaringSG, an organisation supporting caregivers of people with special needs. Of these, more than 100 live in Tampines GRC, including 45 in Tampines East.
CAREkaki aims to help people with special needs and their families, including by organising activities to widen their social circles. It has recruited more than 30 volunteers so far.
Overseeing the programme, Yeo Cheng San Benny, a Tampines East CCC member, said in an interview that these families often hesitate to join group activities because they worry that others may not understand their children’s special needs. The organisation recently held a well-received bowling activity for some families. Volunteers will receive training on how to help people with special needs participate in community activities.
Tampines resident Tay Eng Huat, 60, who is self-employed, accompanied his 26-year-old daughter Crystal Tay to the launch. Crystal, who has autism, developed an interest in drawing at the age of nine, particularly in creating anime characters. After graduating from Metta School, she became an apprentice at the Metta Welfare Association, designing cards and other items for the association. She has also taken part in art exhibitions, including the Shaping Hearts arts festival.
Tay Eng Huat said: “As caregivers, we also have to invest time and money to support our children’s interests. We treasure these opportunities for more people to see her talents.”
