Sandra Low describes herself as “purposeful”, a word that captured the clarity and conviction in her voice when I first spoke to her on a call.
Over the course of our hour-long conversation, I discovered that beneath her smiley first impression was a woman deeply committed to both her family and her cause.
Just last year, Sandra graduated with a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the Singapore University of Technology & Design. At the same time, she was building a growing non-profit organisation while raising her children.
What began as a parent’s concern at home quickly grew into a broader community effort to help young people navigate the digital world more safely.
Recognising The Growing Need for Online Safety
The seeds for Sandra’s journey were sown shortly after her move to Singapore from Hong Kong. As remote learning arrangements became the norm during the pandemic, Sandra noticed her children spending long hours online, often without structured guidance.
The risks and potential harm often went under the radar, unchecked, and conversations about digital safety were limited.
“It was a community pain point,” Sandra shared. “I’m not the only mum facing this problem.”
That realisation led to the founding of Kids PlaySafer. The community-led initiative empowers both parents and young children to take ownership of their safety in digital spaces.
“There are resources out there about online safety, but it was just too overwhelming. We all need to start somewhere, but where?”
Sandra’s first step was creating bite-sized quizzes around online safety for both parents and children. Education wasn’t the only goal. She hoped the quiz activity could serve as a platform where “both the child and the parent could come to common ground, and use the time to actually have a good conversation about digital safety”.
For the past three years, Sandra and her team of volunteers have run public workshops at schools and libraries. Her recent workshops feature digital games developed by student trainers and volunteers, using familiar online scenarios to explore cyber wellness.
The biggest surprise? All her volunteer trainers are children themselves. It was a deliberate choice.
“I realised that to engage children, especially my own, they don’t want to hear another adult lecturing them. They’re the ones navigating these digital and gaming spaces every day, so their perspectives matter. Our role is to guide them on how to stay safe within those environments,” Sandra explained.
Finding Grace in the Juggling Act
Student, entrepreneur, researcher, mother, daughter. Sandra carries many roles at once. How does she manage them all?
“Terribly,” joked Sandra with a light laugh. “I often find myself thinking I should be spending more time with my PSLE kid, or my father or my husband. It’s hard not to feel conflicted.”
To manage the weight of competing responsibilities, she relies on a simple metaphor.
“Imagine everything you have to do is made of glass balls, metal balls, rubber balls. The trick is to find out: When dropped, which balls will bounce back, and which will break?”
“Your family is important, right? That’s your glass ball. You’d never drop it. Everything else has to work around it.”
Even with this mindset, she admits the tension does not disappear. But clarity about what she values helps her decide where to focus her energy.
Beyond prioritising, however, Sandra believes in extending grace to herself.
“Be kind to yourself. At the end of the day, we’re all trying.”
What Happens When You ‘Give to Gain’
2026’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Give to Gain’, encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration amongst women. In that spirit, I asked Sandra to share a moment when another woman supported her journey.
In the early stages of Kids PlaySafer, motivated by a desire to strengthen her design and deepen her research, she began reaching out to subject matter experts. That initiative led her to Professor Sun Sun Lim, Vice President of Partnerships & Engagement at the Singapore Management University.
Professor Lim invited Sandra to present her work and later supported her with a scholarship to pursue her Master’s. That support created a ripple effect.
Today, Sandra shares that she has contributed to a research study with the UN on children’s digital rights, “which is something [she] could never have done if [she] had never got the chance to go back to school.”
It was an opportunity made possible because she first chose to give to her community
Standing in Conviction
As we celebrate International Women’s Day this March, Sandra’s message is one of intentionality.
“Choose something meaningful to you, something that makes sense. From there, be strong enough to stand in conviction of who you want to be. Trust in yourself!”
Sandra is living proof that when a woman is relentless in her pursuit of her passion and ideals, she doesn’t just change her own life – she also creates a safer, kinder world.
This #IWD2026, whose story could you help write?
Share your thoughts with us
