No CCTVs: 'Hangout rooms' tout full privacy for youths and couples to watch movies, but some parents concerned
The Hideout Place at 11 New Bridge Road on June 21, 2023.
- Hangout rooms are gaining popularity among youths seeking privacy and a cozy environment
- Advertisements for these businesses emphasise the absence of surveillance cameras and complete privacy, raising concerns about potential illegal activities
- Some businesses rely on staff monitoring to ensure safety
- Parents question the need for such private spaces and the message they convey to young people
- Youths say they go to these places for wholesome fun
BY GLADYS WEE
Published June 25, 2023
Updated June 25, 2023
SINGAPORE — These so-called "hangout rooms" appear in advertisements on social media as private rooms where people can come with snacks and drinks, and watch movies or Netflix shows together, or just chill out.
Some advertisements have scenes of couples cuddling or sharing a meal, reinforcing the message that these rooms grant patrons complete privacy, with no surveillance cameras around to capture what people do in the rooms.
These rooms are targeted at young people who are looking for cosy private spaces where they can hang out with friends, celebrate birthdays or have laid-back dates far from their parents’ eyes.
The hangout room owners said that they are registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulation Authority and are thus “legitimate” businesses.
However, these private rooms have drawn concerns from parents, who worry that their underage children might go there to drink alcohol, vape or engage in sexual activities.
The fact that several such private rooms have sprouted up over the years bears testament to their popularity.
Ms Shihan Cole, who started Hideout Place in New Bridge Road in January 2023, has since acquired other private movie room outlets such as Best Movie Place (Dunlop Street), Chillaxcosy (Aliwal Street) and Relax Hangout (Syed Alwi Road).
“We are more of an event space, we also have people who come in to film TikTok and YouTube videos, record podcasts, celebrate birthdays, have orientation camp gatherings and take K-pop fan meet calls,” the 30-year-old told TODAY.
Ms Cole is aware that other private room operators have featured intimate scenes of couples in their advertisements.
For Hideout Place, its selling point is its themed rooms and aesthetics, she said. “We do not do suggestive videos. We promote a place where everyone is welcome and should feel safe.”
There is no age limit to enter Hideout Place and its other outlets, but children below 12 must be supervised by an adult.
“Our staff are trained to spot any red flags like crying or shouting and we have banned a few people from coming in if they are too rowdy,” said Ms Cole.
All rooms at Hideout Place and its other outlets are designed without locks, allowing staff easy access. They can also conduct occasional checks during sessions if any issues are detected.
Ms Cole pointed out that it does not make business sense to put up closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in her premises due to the costs involved.
“It is not a necessary investment and it doesn’t make our guests more comfortable,” she added.
When asked if having no CCTVs would increase risks of unwanted activities occurring in the rooms, she said: “People will find a way to break the law whether there are CCTVs or not.”
For Ms Shamira Natasha, the owner of Lepak Space in North Bridge Road, the fact that all of her rooms have CCTVs could have resulted in her losing business to operators that advertise otherwise.
Lepak Space, which started in May 2020, is one of the early entrants in this industry.
Ms Shamira positions her rooms as a clean space for big group gatherings for events and studying.
She has not dealt with any illegal activities within the premises of Lepak Space.
She said that the CCTVs ensure the safety of all equipment and allows her to monitor and remind customers of the rules. There are no staff on the premises and everything is done self-service.
There is no chance of Ms Shamira doing away with the surveillance.
“I will not take the risk of underage activities that would require intervention, or risk having problems with the authorities by encouraging things that are illegal and can cause potential harm to someone else,” she said.
“People say we shouldn’t have CCTVs and target more couples who want a private space, but a lot of things can go wrong with that. I do not see myself going towards that even if it brings more business.”
PARENTS AND PATRONS SAY...
Some parents of adolescent children have expressed concerns about the concept of these hangout rooms.Ms Yvonne Nah, 48, a mother of three boys aged 13, 20 and 22, believes that the “whole concept is wrong”, adding that she would only allow her children to go to these places if there are measures to deter illicit activities and rules in place.
Ms Nah works in the alcohol industry, and she had often spoken with her boys about what can happen behind such private rooms and what they might see.
“I talk to my kids about these things all the time. They know where the limit is, should they meet with situations they cannot control,” she added.
Ms Chan Ying Ying, 47, technical director at ThermoFisher Scientific and mother of an 18-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy, said that she is “not comfortable” with her kids going to such places.
“Our home is cosy enough. Each of my children have their own personal room and television, and can leave the door open when friends hang out. There’s no practical need to waste money on private movie rooms,” she said.
Most of the young people who have used such rooms said they were there for wholesome fun, whether with friends or their partners.
Ms Hani Bisyri, a 22-year-old social worker associate who has been to Lepak Space on several occasions, said: “We want our own private space to be ourselves without our families there.
“The allure of private rooms is that it opens up vulnerability, and conversations with my friends usually shift to deep topics.”
Ms Nur Iman Khaire, a 21-year-old undergraduate at the Nanyang Technological University, said she went to Lepak Space to avoid the crowd in Bugis and chill with her friends.
“The place gives off a homey feeling,” she said.
Ms Nurtasya Halifi, a 20-year-old student at Nanyang Polytechnic, went to Hideout Place on Wednesday with her friends. She had a complimentary room to have her fan meet with the K-pop idol group, Enhyphen.
“I went to Hideout Place because my home is quite noisy so it was not a very conducive environment,” she said.
One 17-year-old girl who was spotted with her boyfriend at Hideout Place told TODAY that she went there to “get privacy, talk and watch shows, because spending quality time is important”.
