Singapore's new Online Safety Commission (OSC) rolls out to combat cyberbullying, deepfakes, and online harms. But will this law protect victims, or will trolls simply hide in darker corners?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Imagine discovering that your face and voice have been hijacked, manipulated into a deepfake, and broadcast across the internet. It is a chilling violation of privacy, and it proves a terrifying point: no one is immune to online harms.

As digital abuse, cyberbullying, and image-based violence become increasingly normalised, the rules of engagement are also shifting. Enter the Online Safety Commission (OSC) that Singapore is officially rolling out in June 2026.

This new regulatory watchdog is designed to force tech giants to take down harmful content and give victims some respite from the harassment and bullying. But will this new law actually have the teeth to protect us? Or will trolls quickly invent new ways to circumvent it?

In this episode of In Your Opinion, assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong sits down with legal expert and founder of SG Her Empowerment (SHE) Stefanie Yuen Thio. Yuen Thio shares her personal ordeal as a deepfake victim and uncovers the severe realities of digital abuse facing youths in Singapore today – including the alarming normalisation of teenagers selling intimate photos for $50.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:14 Her personal experience surviving a deepfake attack

7:43 How "trusted flaggers" like SHE get harmful content taken down faster than standard reporting

9:57 What the new Online Safety Commission (OSC) actually means for victims of cyberbullying

24:36 The disturbing reality of youths commodifying their bodies and selling intimate photos for $50

27:22 Beyond the law: The urgent need for age assurance technology and bystander intervention

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong

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Are Singaporeans too rigid to be funny? How to take ourselves less seriously to overcome stress.

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.

In this episode, theatrical clown and actor Shanice Stanislaus shares with host See Kai Wen about how thinking and acting like a clown can help navigate high-pressure environments.

The “Clown Mentality” includes having the audacity to dream and try, never afraid of failing and finding ways to add whimsy into your life. We all have a little clown in our pockets.

Shanice also speaks about her journey as one of the only few professional clowns in Singapore, her award-winning clown shows, and how she helps Singaporeans find their “funny” in her workshops.

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:00 What is clowning?

02:58 Are Singaporeans too uptight to be funny?

07:11 Why we need to learn how to fail

10:51 Comedy is truth and pain wrapped nicely

15:33 Using humour to break the ice in work situations

21:55 How to find your inner clown and humour

25:47 Adopting a “Clown Mentality”

27:51 Shanice’s experience performing as a clown overseas

Follow See Kai Wen on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/qfwqQ

Host: See Kai Wen (seekw@sph.com.sg)

Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Elizabeth Law and Joanna Seow

Follow Headstart On Record Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/wB2m

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wuN3

Spotify: https://str.sg/wBr9

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Get business/career tips in ST's Headstart newsletter: https://str.sg/headstart-nl

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Do note: All analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast are for your general information only. You should not rely on them in making any decision. Please consult a fully qualified financial adviser or professional expert for independent advice and verification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPH Media shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of or reliance on any analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast. SPH Media accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever that may result or arise from the products, services or information of any third parties.

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Can Trump and Xi’s new ‘constructive’ framework bring stability to the US-China dynamic?

Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.

In this episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Wang Xiangwei, the eminent Hongkong-based China scholar and former editor-in-chief of South China Morning Post.

Wang, who is soon heading to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a Senior Visiting Fellow, offers a Chinese perspective on the changing dynamics of the US-China relationship, with Beijing now treated as a near-peer by Washington, and increasingly able to set the agenda.

US President Donald Trump, he says, is the most China-friendly person in his Cabinet and the days when even Chinese garlic was treated as a national security risk are long over.

In an odd way, China does not wish to see the US retrench from Asia entirely.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:26 How things have changed in US-China ties

5:20 ‘G-2’ is in place now, and China a peer equal

8:55 Goodbye, Indo-Pacific

13:20 Up ahead, long period of stability

16:17 For the first time, China sets the agenda

20:36 Boards of trade, investment

26:22 Surprise, Surprise…China wants US to stay in Asia!

Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP

Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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The scheme was meant to build closer ties between parents and schools. Has it achieved its intended purpose, or outlived its usefulness?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Would you volunteer your time and effort to get your child into a primary school of your choice? For many parents, it’s a no-brainer - even if it involves a huge commitment.

Parent volunteering was introduced as part of the P1 registration system as a way to encourage parents to be more involved in their child’s education and build closer ties between parents and the school. Schools also benefitted from the extra help in their programmes and events.

In 1998, it was announced that parent volunteers would have to complete at least 40 hours of service to the school to register their child in an earlier phase of P1 registration.

But the scheme’s immense popularity among parents has caused it to become increasingly competitive. Some parents ballot to have a chance to volunteer. Others prepare detailed curriculums or send CVs to schools. Some schools no longer accept parent volunteers.

It’s raised questions: Given that volunteering requires time, effort and skills, does the scheme really only benefit parents who have resources?

And isn’t volunteering meant to be something done out of a genuine desire to do good, rather than expecting something in return?

How did the parent volunteer scheme turn into an arms race? Has it outlived its usefulness? Is it time to scrap the scheme entirely?

In this episode of In Your Opinion, Assistant Opinion Editor Lianne Chia speaks with Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education to understand the original intentions of the scheme, what happened along the way - and why choosing a child’s primary school has become such a high-stakes, high anxiety exercise.

Highlights (click/tap above):

4:20 Has the parent volunteer scheme achieved its initial purpose?

5:59 Does the scheme turn volunteering into a transaction?

9:33 How did the P1 volunteering scheme become an arms race?

16:22 Can we really blame parents?

23:59 Is there a way we can return the scheme to its original intention?

27:32 Should we scrap the volunteering scheme - or double down on it?

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb

Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Your guide to a kinder end-of-life journey in the ICU.

Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National University Hospital recently launched a new initiative called A Kinder ICU that is supported by a 3.93 million grant from the Lien Foundation. The aim is to integrate palliative care into standard ICU treatment.

In this episode, Joyce Teo finds out more about the initiative and the nature of palliative care from her two guests. They discuss how palliative care has evolved and how it provides essential support to patients who are critically ill and their families.

The conversation also explores the importance of reflecting on the desired quality of life as one approaches the end of their journey.

The two guests are Assistant Professor Neo Han Yee, a senior consultant and head of the palliative medicine department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Ms Charmaine Sim, an advanced practice nurse at the medical intensive care unit at the National University Hospital.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:26 Palliative care 10-20 years ago vs now

5:28 Feeling conflicted seeing a family member in the ICU

9:27 There is an art to palliative care

10:23 Life presents you with unexpected crises

14:10 Medical staff will also feel distressed if they are imposing pain on patients

21:12 Helping the family of a man who fell critically ill just before he was about to return home

23:40 Is it fair to keep trying to save his life?

25:03 The doctor is legally authorised to withdraw life support when life-sustaining efforts are futile, but there’s a need to help the family hold that grief

29:30 Filial piety is a virtue but it can also create a sense of guilt

34:26 What is the minimum quality of life you want to live by?

35:43 You cannot assume that you will pass away in your sleep…

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

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The 2026 World Cup in North America is just around the corner but is it in danger of being too bloated?

The June 11-July 19 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada will feature a record 48 teams from six confederations, with 12 groups of four teams each.

A new round of 32 will make its debut and the tournament will feature a record 104 matches in total, 40 games more than the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Four countries that will be making their debut in North America are Curacao – the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup – fellow minnows Cape Verde, and Asian newcomers Jordan and Uzbekistan.

In comparison over World Cup history, the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930 had just 13 teams – three groups of three and one group of four nations. One winner from each group advanced to the semi-finals and the tournament comprised only 18 matches. There were no qualifiers then as it was an invitational tournament.

In this episode, The Straits Times collaborates with Money FM 89.3’s Sports Minutes to invite nine fans in Singapore - who hail from participating World Cup nations - and together with columnist and pundit Neil Humphreys, they look ahead to what is in store at the June 11 to July 19 tournament.

Representing their home countries but based in Singapore, are the following fans featured:

Mexico: Mauricio Espinoza, chef/owner of Papi's Tacos in SG

Argentina: Lucas Bilbao, co-founder, Minga Creative Company

France: Stephane Missier, chief strategy officer, BBH Singapore

Brazil: Matheus De Moura Sena, senior tax manager, Deloitte

Spain: Sahil Naresh Primalani, founder, Aula De Lenguas

England: Faraaz Marghoob, group strategy director, BBH Singapore

Morocco: Karim Bencherifa, football coach

Japan: Shuya Yamashita, BG Tampines Rovers footballer

Germany: Lennart Thy, Lion City Sailors footballer

Try out The Straits Times World Cup results simulator: https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2025/12/worldcup-2026-simulator/index.html

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:55 Humphreys: Quality over quantity? Was it only about the money, not simply inclusivity & diversity?

2:43 Mexico, masks and the love of the game

5:12 Can Argentina make it two in a row?

7:00 A classic modern rivalry between France and Argentina

8:40 Mayonnaise: How mixing special ingredients needs to be done right too, in the case of France with many superstars

10:00 A comeback for Brazil, Spanish flair, or is football finally "coming home"?

14:06 The Morocco dream, history for Japan? Will Germany switch it?

19:09 Can World Cup 2026 overcome all the issues surrounding it?

22:10 World Cup 2026 favourites? Dark horses?

36:35 Is Cristiano Ronaldo too old? Who else should win the World Cup?

Host: Deepanraj Ganesan (gdeepan@sph.com.sg) & Zia-ul Raushan (raushan@sph.com.sg)

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Jonathan Roberts, deputy head, Audience Lab (video)

Follow more ST podcast channels:

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Being uber-responsible, people-pleasing and a perfectionist are traits that first-born girls in Asia purportedly have.

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in.

A book in Taiwan on the so-called “eldest daughter syndrome” is now a bestseller translated into other languages.

It looks at how many first-born women in the East Asian society struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, burnout, anxiety and other mental health struggles. This often arises from the profound psychological and physical pressures that they face at home.

What is even more insidious is when these traits carry over from the private space to their workplace.

Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee, herself a first-born girl, speaks to foreign editor Li Xueying, another first-born girl, on her personal experience, as well as the question: where is all of this coming from?

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:58 What is the eldest daughter syndrome

4:43 Myth vs social expectations

6:29 Eldest daughter syndrome entrenched in Taiwan society

10:17 How it plays into workplace burnout and boundaries

13:55 Managing guilt and saying no as an eldest daughter

Read Yip Wai Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/jbsK

Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR

Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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A recent Straits Times survey of 1,000 unmarried people explained why the dating scene is so bleak: it’s hard to meet new people, dating can be expensive and there are unrealistic expectations of love and relationships.

In this episode, Natasha chats with:

• Liu Zhiqun, co-founder of Kopi Date, a dating platform that curates one-on-one coffee dates, and

• Dr Kenneth Tan, an assistant professor of psychology at Singapore Management University, who studies relationships from end-to-end - that is from singlehood to why relationships end.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:53 Has dating become harder?

5:29 21 years old, no dating experience

10:10 The ‘perfect partner’ problem

11:33 Has social media warped our idea of romance

14:21 Dating 101: teaching rejection in schools?

18:29 Why people don’t bring their best self on dates

21:46 “Why do I have to work for love as well?”

27:15 Is school the best place to look for love?

31:20 Fear of being alone leads to settling

32:34 Red flags, icks: are they just excuses?

36:25 Old-school gender rules in a modern dating world

41:52 Can the Government fix our love lives?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

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Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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