2024年5月8日，新加坡卫生部高级政务次长拉哈尤·玛赞在国会答复杨厝港集选区议员叶汉荣和惹兰勿刹集选区议员文礼佳博士关于如何利用社交媒体提高对电子烟危害认识的补充问题。
以下内容为新加坡眼根据国会英文资料翻译整理：
叶汉荣先生（杨厝港集选区议员）：谢谢议长先生。我感谢高级政务次长的答复。我有两个补充问题：
1、卫生部能否详细说明是否有计划让青年代表或青年领导的组织参与制定和实施在社交媒体上开展的反电子烟运动，以确保所传达的信息与目标受众相关和贴近？
2、鉴于社交媒体平台和网络趋势的不断变化和发展，特别是考虑到新的电子烟产品和营销策略的迅速扩散，卫生部如何调整其战略以保持有效地触达青少年？
拉哈尤·玛赞女士（以下简称 "拉哈尤"）：议长先生，这位议员提出了一个非常有效的问题。的确，我们必须了解和掌握这一领域的发展趋势。这就是为什么当我们在 2023 年开展无电子烟运动时，我们与全国青年理事会（NYC）和青年组织合作，以了解和理解那些对我们有帮助的细微差别。我们还与社交媒体上有影响力的人和不同的平台合作，确保发布的信息经过精心策划，并触达我们的目标群体。
事实上，这将是一项正在进行的工作。我们已经与青年组织建立了持续的关系，并计划在此基础上继续努力。我希望各位议员能够继续支持我们的工作，把信息传播给目标受众群体。
议长先生：有请文礼佳博士。
文礼佳博士（惹兰勿刹集选区议员）：谢谢议长先生。我真正关心的是如何监督和管理推广电子烟产品的“网红”。我感谢高级政务次长分享了为减少电子烟所做的努力，但我确实相信，“网红”对我们今天的青少年有着非常大的影响。从问责的角度来看，卫生部在追究这些“网红”推广吸食电子烟的责任之前，特别是如果他们被发现规避广告法规，会采取哪些措施或做哪些考虑？
我的第二个补充问题是关于法律法规的更新。鉴于数字营销形势不断变化，卫生部是否计划更新现有法律法规，以涵盖更新形式的数字促销，例如通过“网红”和病毒式营销？
拉哈尤·玛赞女士（以下简称 "拉哈尤"）：议长先生，卫生科学局已经在上游开展工作，通过监控社交媒体、电子商务和信息平台上的非法电子烟销售，关注这些电子烟的在线销售和供应空间，并定期开展针对这些平台上电子烟销售的行动。我们还与 Instagram、Facebook 和 Carousell 等大型平台合作，删除非法销售此类产品的帖子。
从目前的情况来看，这是非法的（在社交平台上做电子烟广告和营销）。根据《烟草（广告和销售管制）法》，电子烟的所有广告和销售都是被禁止的。今年3月，卫生部和卫生科学局向 16 个社交媒体和电子商务平台发出了通知函，提醒它们承接与电子烟相关的广告内容违反了《烟草法》。这些平台有责任进行尽职调查，主动删除针对新加坡居民的电子烟相关内容。如果发现这些平台的检测流程不充分，可能会对其采取执法行动。
因此，我们将继续与通信及新闻部（MCI）和资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）等不同机构合作。我们正在采取多管齐下的办法：在数字平台方面，我们正在向上溯源，加强与平台合作互动，努力监测，同时加强国民教育。所以，我认为这确实需要整个社区的支持，我们将竭尽所能，确保不会让这一情况在我们的社区扎根，但我们也希望得到社区的支持，传播这一信息，并尽力提供正确的信息给到年轻人。
以下是英文质询内容：
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT HARMS OF VAPING（2)
Mr Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for her response. I have two supplementary questions. Can the Ministry elaborate on any plans to involve youth representatives or youth-led organisations in the development and implementation of anti-vaping campaigns on social media, ensuring that the message is relevant as well as relatable to the target audience?
Secondly, given the constantly changing and evolving nature of social media platforms and online trends, how does the Ministry adapt its strategy to remain effective in reaching out to youths, particularly considering the rapid proliferation of new vaping products as well as marketing tactics?
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Mr Speaker, the Member raised a very valid point. Indeed, it is important for us to have an understanding and keep aware of the trends that are happening in the space. Which is why when we did the vape-free campaign in 2023, we did work with National Youth Council (NYC) and the youth organisations to understand and appreciate the nuances that would be helpful. We worked with social media influencers and the different platforms to make sure that the information that is given out there is curated and will be reaching the groups that we target.
Indeed, this is going to be a work in progress. We have already ongoing relations with the youth organisations and we have plans to continue building on these efforts. And I hope that we will also continue to get support from Members in disseminating the information to the right target audience.
Mr Speaker: Dr Wan Rizal.
Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My concern is really with regards to the monitoring of and regulating the influencers in promoting vaping products. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for sharing the efforts to mitigate vaping, but I do believe that the influencers have a very big impact on our youths today. From the accountability perspective, what measures are in place or what considerations would the Ministry take before holding such influencers accountable for promoting vaping products, especially if they are found circumventing advertising regulations?
My second supplementary question is with regards to the legal and regulatory updates. Given the evolving landscape of digital marketing, does the Ministry plan to update existing laws and regulations to cover newer forms of digital promotions, such as those through the influencers and viral challenges?
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Mr Speaker, HSA is already doing upstream efforts in looking at the online space on sales and supplies of these e-vaporisers by monitoring illicit sales of e-vaporisers through social media, e-commerce and messaging platforms, and actually carries out operations regularly to target the sales of e-vaporisers on these platforms. We also have been engaging the larger platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Carousell to remove postings of illegal sales of such products.
As it stands already, it is illegal. All and sales of e-vaporisers are prohibited under the Tobacco (Control of and Sale) Act. Recently, MOH and HSA issued a letter of notice to 16 social media and e-commerce platforms in March this year to remind them that hosting vaping-related content is in breach of the Tobacco Act. The onus is on these platforms to exercise due diligence and proactively remove vaping-related content that are targeted at Singapore residents. Enforcement actions may be taken against these platforms if they are found to have inadequate processes to detect.
We will continue to work with different agencies like MCI as well as IMDA. So, we are taking a multi-pronged approach on this. On the front, with the digital platforms, we are going upstream, we are trying to monitor, we are engaging with the platforms and we are also educating our people. So, I think this is something that we do need a whole-of-community support on, and we will do what we can to ensure that we will not let this take root in our community, but we do hope to get support from the community as well, to disseminate this message and to also extend the right information to the youths.
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