South-east Asian governments turn up the heat on social media giants to control content

The tussle over who gets the last word on social media is becoming contentious as people increasingly consume news via these platforms. PHOTO: AFP
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

BANGKOK - High school senior Pimyada Panyapuwased uses Facebook and Instagram to talk to her peers, Twitter to express her thoughts, and the Line messaging app to communicate with her parents.

Social media, says the 17-year-old girl, is her soapbox because mainstream media content is dominated by the state or older folk. So she was dismayed when the Thai government recently lodged police reports against Twitter and Facebook after the companies failed to restrict online content it deemed illegal.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.