2024年5月8日，新加坡卫生部高级政务次长拉哈尤·玛赞在国会答复蔡厝港集选区议员周凯年关于如何利用社交媒体提高对电子烟危害的认识问题。
以下内容为新加坡眼根据国会英文资料翻译整理：
周凯年先生询问卫生部长：有哪些策略可以吸引社交媒体平台和社交媒体上的广告，以提高人们对电子烟危害的认识，并阻止新加坡年轻人吸食电子烟？
拉哈尤·玛赞（卫生部长高级政务次长）（代表卫生部长）：议长先生，我的答复也将涵盖文礼佳博士在书面质询中提出的事项，这些问题将安排在今天的会议上讨论。
在全球范围内，青少年吸食电子烟的人数不断增加。市场营销，包括通过社交媒体和有影响力的人进行的营销，很大程度上是针对青少年的，这促使其在这一年龄组中广泛使用。许多青少年养成了吸食电子烟的习惯，认为它闻起来像水果一样无害。他们把它变成了朋友间的一种生活习惯。然而，我们都知道吸食电子烟有害的。事实上，它正在年轻人中生根发芽，这使它的危害更大。许多国家允许吸食电子烟，但现在却试图限制其消费。幸运的是，新加坡看到了它的潜在危害，从一开始就禁止了它。
《烟草（广告和销售控制）法》或《烟草法》也禁止电子烟的广告。众所周知，与所有国内法律一样，《烟草法》适用于在新加坡以及由与新加坡有关的个人或实体发布的与电子烟有关的内容。然而，互联网和社交媒体是一个全球性的生态系统，国内法律禁止有害内容或广告并不意味着这些材料不会来自国外或国外有影响力的人。这就是当今网络执法的本质。
但我们并非没有管理机构，我们已经采取了多项措施。例如，首先，社交媒体和电子商务平台意识到，根据《烟草法》，它们应恪尽职守，主动删除针对新加坡居民的与烟草有关的内容。如果发现平台没有足够的程序来检测和删除与吸食毒品有关的内容，可能会对其采取执法行动。卫生部（MOH）和卫生科学局（HSA）将继续与通信及新闻部（MCI）和资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）密切合作，与这些平台进行接触。
其次，根据互联网行为准则（Code of Practice for Online Safety），资讯通信媒体发展局指定了具有重大影响力的社交媒体服务，以最大程度减少用户接触有害内容的机会。指定的社交媒体服务包括 Facebook、HardwareZone、Instagram、TikTok、X 和 YouTube。
第三，卫生科学局一直在监测通过社交媒体、电子商务和信息平台非法销售电子烟的情况，并开展删除电子烟内容的行动。卫生科学局正努力扩大工作范围，并正在审查法律处罚，以加强对电子烟广告、进口和分销的威慑。
第四，在清除电子烟内容的同时，我们也努力增加有利于健康的内容。健康促进委员会（HPB）还在2023年发起了一项无电子烟运动，包括利用社交媒体，主要针对青少年和青年。
议长先生：有请周凯年先生。
周凯年先生（蔡厝港集选区议员）：谢谢议长。我感谢高级政务次长的回答。我想我的大部分补充问题已经得到了回答，但还有一个。我在议会供应委员会的一次发言中谈到了这个问题。电子烟与可卡因泛滥之间有密切关系。在加拿大，29%的15岁或以上吸食可卡因的人表示，电子烟是他们吸食可卡因的首选方式。卫生部是否会对电子烟吸食和滥用毒品方面的联系和风险进行研究？
拉哈尤·玛赞女士（以下简称 “拉哈尤“）：是的，围绕这一信息有大量研究和数据，我们正在对此进行跟踪。事实上，这正是我们所担心的，因为一些错误信息在年轻人甚至成年人中间传播，认为电子烟是无害的；事实上，它们可能是戒烟产品。但实情是，有大量数据表明，它们是导致吸烟和吸毒的 “入门产品”。因此，我们需要继续在这方面积累知识并传播信息。
以下是英文质询内容：
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT HARMS OF VAPING（1）
6 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Health what are the strategies to engage social media platforms and advertising on social media to raise awareness about the harms of vaping and to discourage the use of vapes and habit of vaping among youths in Singapore.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, my response will also cover the matters raised in the written questions by Dr Wan Rizal, which are scheduled for today’s Sitting.
There is a global rise in the use of e-vaporisers among youths. Marketing, including through social media and influencers, is largely targeted at youths, which contributed to its widespread usage amongst this age group. Many youths picked up the vaping habit, thinking it is harmless because it smells like fruits, and they make it a lifestyle habit among their friends. However, we all know that vaping is harmful. The fact that it is taking root among youths makes it even more harmful. Many countries allowed vaping, only to try to restrict its consumption now. Fortunately, Singapore saw its potential harm and banned it from the start.
The Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, or the Tobacco Act, also prohibits advertisement of e-vaporisers. As we all know, like all domestic laws, the Tobacco Act applies to vaping-related content published in Singapore and by Singapore-connected persons or entities. However, the Internet and social media is a global ecosystem and having domestic laws that ban harmful content or advertisements does not mean that these materials would not come in from a foreign source or a foreign influencer. That is the nature of online enforcement today.
But we are not without agency and we have put in place several measures. For example, firstly, social media and e-commerce platforms are aware that under the Tobacco Act, they are expected to exercise due diligence and proactively remove vaping-related content that target Singapore residents. Enforcement actions may be taken against platforms that are found with inadequate processes to detect and remove vaping-related contents. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to engage these platforms.
Secondly, under the Code of Practice for Online Safety, the IMDA designated social media services with significant reach or impact to minimise users’ exposure to harmful content. The designated social media services are Facebook, HardwareZone, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Thirdly, HSA has been monitoring illicit sales of e-vaporisers via social media, e-commerce and messaging platforms, and carrying out operations to remove e-vaporiser content. HSA is trying to expand its efforts and is reviewing the legal penalties to strengthen the deterrence against advertising, importation and distribution of e-vaporisers.
Fourthly, even as we remove e-vaporisers content, we also try to increase pro-health content. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) also launched a vape-free campaign in 2023, including using social media, targeting youths and younger adults.
Mr Speaker: Mr Zhulkarnain.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Thank you, Speaker. And I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. I think most of my supplementary questions have been answered, but just one more. I spoke about this in Parliament in one of my speeches in the Committee of Supply. There is a strong link between vaping and cannabis abuse. In Canada, 29% of cannabis-using individuals aged 15 years or older indicated that vaping is their preferred method for cannabis use. Will MOH conduct a study on this link and risks in terms of the usage of vaping and drug abuse?
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Yes, there is a lot of research and data surrounding this information, and we are keeping track of this. In fact, that is our concern because there is some misinformation also spreading among young people, even amongst adults, thinking that e-vaporisers are harmless; that, in fact, they could be cessation products. The truth is that there is a lot of data that suggests that they are gateway products to smoking as well as to drug use. So, these are things that we need to continue building knowledge on and also disseminating information on.
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