Technology, Wellbeing, & Policy in Singapore

Technology, Wellbeing, and Policy in Singapore

a Singapore Research Nexus Policy Outreach Event

This event spotlights NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and academics' research and insights on technology, wellbeing, and policy implications in Singapore and beyond.

Date & Time: 2-5 pm, Thursday, 2 October, 2025

Venue: FASS AS7 Research Division Seminar Room (6-42)/Zoom

Venue Address: NUS AS7 Shaw Foundation Building, 5 Arts Link, 117570

Directions: To get to the Research Division Seminar Room, go to Level 6 of the AS7 Shaw Foundation Building and turn right after exiting the lift, going around the corridor past the washrooms. Turn left and you will see the Research Division Seminar Room directly ahead.

Registration
Eventbrite: https://Tech_Wellbeing_Policy.eventbrite.sg
Zoom: https://shorturl.at/PWgWO

This event is aimed at academics and those working in policymaking. Please fill out all fields to register: 1. Name; Email; 2. Job title; 3. Company/Organisation. If you are not an academic or working in policymaking, please attend this event on Zoom and not in-person as space is limited for the in-person event. If you do not fill out all four fields when registering, your ticket may be cancelled.

Download the programme here.

Presentation Abstracts and Biographical Statements of Speakers

Technology-Related Harms and Youth Mental Health
Digital technologies are deeply embedded in young people’s daily lives, yet their pervasive use poses complex challenges for wellbeing and public policy. This presentation draws on two studies with university students in Singapore to examine how problematic smartphone use and cyberbullying victimization intersect with mental health outcomes. The first study (N=1,105) found that smartphone addiction was associated with higher levels of cyberbullying involvement, depression, and anxiety, with anxiety mediating the impact of cybervictimization on problematic smartphone use. The second study (N=723) showed that cyberbullying victimization was linked to disordered eating behaviours through lowered self-esteem, and how this risk was intensified by deviant peer affiliation. Together, these findings reveal that digital harms extend beyond individual behaviour to peer dynamics and broader socio-educational contexts. They underscore the importance of routine screening, digital literacy initiatives, and peer support systems within schools and communities. The results also point to opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration across education, health, and community organisations to design evidence-based interventions and policies that foster safe digital engagement and strengthen youth resilience.

Associate Professor Jungup Lee | NUS Social Work
Dr Jungup Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Co-Director of the Social Service Research Centre at the National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on youth mental health and digital well-being, cyberbullying and online harms, parenting and peer support, and AI/technology in children and youth development. She currently conducts several interdisciplinary research projects aligned with these interests, including a multipronged study on the mechanisms of cyberbullying, a mixed-method investigation into campus sexual misconduct and online harassment, a longitudinal mixed-method study of parenting styles and children’s emotional regulation, a project exploring human–AI collaboration in reducing mental health stigma and enhancing social care, and a cross-cultural study on the integration of technological innovation to support youth mental health and well-being. She has over 70 academic publications including Handbook of School Violence, Bullying and Safety (Edward Elgar, 2024), articles in leading journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Medical Internet Research, and Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, and conference papers in top human-computer interaction and computation conferences like ACM CHI and ACL. She is a Review Editor of Frontiers in Public Health (Injury Prevention and Control Specialty Section).

Core Components of Effective Text-based Conversations: Evidence from a Local Social Service Agency and Implications for Practice, Training, and Service Design
This presentation examines the core components of effective text-based conversations with youths, using evidence from a local social service agency providing online chats to youths and young persons. The analysis identifies specific linguistic features and counsellor skills associated with helpful outcomes. Findings show that text crafting skills are key especially to express emotions and support, and that multiple communication styles—from emotionally expressive to inquiry-driven—can be equally effective. The findings provide a basis for improving practice and have direct implications for the training of chat supporters, the design of digital mental health services, and the development of AI in chatbots.

Assistant Professor Gerard Chung | NUS Social Work
Dr Gerard Chung is an assistant professor of Social Work at the Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore, researching technology in social work. Before academia, he practiced as a social worker at Fei Yue Family Service Centre. He explores how social work professional identity shapes our interpretation and adaptation of new technologies, particularly AI. He focuses on ensuring meaningful technology interactions that maintain quality professional standards and ethics. He identifies as a quantitative methodologist and is interested in advancing the use of administrative data in the social service sector to improve social work practices and to evaluate interventions and services.

Lim Tse Min | Fei Yue Community Services
Ms Lim Tse Min is currently a team leader and senior social worker at Fei Yue Community Services with over 10 years of experience working with youths and families. Her current main portfolio includes supporting youths on eC2, a community mental health programme for youths. eC2 aims to promote mental resilience by empowering youths to take charge of their mental health by connecting them to available resources and instilling courage in them to seek help and engage with the community. She also has prior experiences working with youth at risk, reaching out to them on the streets and steering them back to meaningful engagements. She believes that every youth has the potential to shine, given the opportunities and support that they need.

Presentation details forthcoming.

Assistant Professor Kean J. Hsu | NUS Psychology
Kean J. Hsu, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at National University of Singapore. His research investigates how basic cognitive processes (e.g., attention, executive functioning) impact the etiology and exacerbate symptom severity of depression and anxiety. He is also interested in scalable mental health interventions (e.g., cognitive training, brief interventions) and examining mechanisms underlying psychotherapeutic interventions, as well as increasing awareness of issues surrounding mental health and stigma in communities that are typically under-served or under-utilize mental health services. Clinically, Kean specialises in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, and stress in adults. Kean completed a B.A. with honours in psychology (with a behavioural neuroscience specialization) at Yale University before receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Southern California in 2014. He completed postdoctoral research fellowships at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Texas at Austin. He previously co-directed the Anxiety and Stress Clinic with Jasper Smits, Ph.D., at UT-Austin. Most recently, Kean was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University.

Promises and Pitfalls of Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs): Implications for Policy, Equity, and Personalized Care in Singapore
Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs), including virtual reality exposure therapy, mindfulness apps, and scalable cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) platforms, offer unprecedented opportunities to expand access to evidence-based mental health care. Drawing on recent clinical trials, machine learning research, and meta-analytic findings, this presentation will outline the therapeutic promise of DMHIs in reducing anxiety, enhancing executive functioning, and sustaining long-term gains for diverse populations. However, this promise is tempered by critical implementation and ethical challenges. These include low sustained user engagement, algorithmic bias, disparities in digital health literacy, and logistical constraints in coaching supervision and fidelity. The talk will also address cost-effectiveness, public trust, and equitable access, especially for underrepresented groups in Singapore. Specific attention will be given to how DMHI research at NUS has informed treatment-matching rules, precision digital care, and scalable delivery models. The session concludes with policy-relevant recommendations for Singapore’s National Mental Health Strategy, emphasizing the importance of blended care, public-private partnerships, and culturally responsive digital health innovation. In doing so, this talk highlights actionable steps for advancing ethical, equitable, and personalized mental health care in a tech-enabled society.

Assistant Professor Nur Hani Zainal | NUS Psychology
Dr. Hani is a Presidential Young Professorship (PYP) Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Director of the Optimizing Wellness (OWL) Lab. She completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the Harvard Medical School (HMS), received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, and completed her predoctoral clinical fellowship at the HMS-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) - Cognitive Behavioral Scientist Track. Her research focuses on how executive functioning, social cognition, and cognitive-behavioral strategies link to the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. She is also interested in technology-facilitated interventions and psychoneuroimmunology. To achieve these aims, she uses a variety of approaches and datasets. These include cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, basic science experiments, ecological momentary assessments, and prospective cross-panel designs. To this end, she hopes to make novel and positively impactful contributions to basic science and translational clinical research and practice. Also, Dr. Hani is a recipient of awards such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Leonard Krasner Dissertation Award, Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Alies Muskin Career Development Leadership Program (CDLP), and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Superior Teaching and Research (STAR) award.