Man records a couple hugging and kissing on a playground bench, says ‘this was in a children’s playground’

SINGAPORE: A man shared videos of a couple hugging and kissing on a bench at a Tampines Street 34 playground. The man, who was visibly upset by what he saw, declared that Singapore is still a conservative nation and that hugging and kissing in a public place may be viewed as inappropriate or disrespectful, especially in a children’s playground. 

The man also shared a message with the couple. He stated: “It is always best to avoid PDA or restrict it to some private area… You may not mind a hundred eyes looking at you, but the public may mind.” 

He further remarked that they may not care about the opinions of others, but one day, they would regret what they had done one way or another. 

“A hug, a quick peck, holding hands, sitting with an arm around someone — those are all benign displays of affection…But prolonged kissing, touching of certain areas, groping, grinding, making out, those are all suited for a private room. If it looks like foreplay or the lead-in to it, keep it at home,” he said. 

The man also pointed out that a quick hello or goodbye kiss, a hug that does not involve any sexual tension, holding hands, and sitting with an arm around the shoulder are different from what they had done. 

The man declared, “Those can all be done in a very non-sexual display of affection. When it crosses over into sexual territory, such as lingering in a kiss, tongues, a hug that involves more touching, making out, et cetera — that’s getting into sexual territory and you need to keep it to yourself.” 

“If two people love one another and are mentally healthy and socially considerate, they have the confidence to know they will have privacy in the near future and don’t need to steal it in public.”

“If they have a healthy relationship, they are happy enough just to be together. So they need only hold hands and give one another pecks on the cheek. Brief kisses on the lips are good enough,” the man concluded. 

Singapore, although now viewed as a modern city, still highly values its traditions. With this said, showing too much affection in public, like kissing or hugging closely, might draw unwanted attention from others.