Watch out for the dangers of extreme ideas

Lianhe Zaobao, page 18

In an editorial, Lianhe Zaobao wrote about how the recent arrest of a 16-year-old local Protestant teenager by the Internal Security Department for his plan to murder Muslims at two mosques highlights the presence of inflammatory comments and hate speech on the Internet, especially social media, an echo chamber that amplifies a certain perspective and may take root in some’s minds in the long run. The editorial cited a recent survey by NTU that found that Singapore residents’ use of social media apps spiked during the pandemic, in part driven by feelings of isolation, and added that the impact of social media on young people cannot be underestimated if the pandemic lasts four to five years.