SINGAPORE, July 31 -- Singapore should focus on making social media platforms safer rather than imposing a blanket age ban on young users, a government-appointed panel has recommended.

The panel, convened by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to study the impact of social media on youth mental health, said the risks were serious enough to require action even though research has not established a direct cause-and-effect link, Singapore-based news outlet CNA reported today.

"Definitive causal links between problematic social media use and adverse mental health outcomes have not yet been established, and conclusive causal evidence may take years to emerge," MOH said.

"However, the evidence of association is clear and sufficient to act on," it a...