Porn on social media platforms being disguised as educational content

When one Singaporean mother noticed that her son was sneaking into the bathroom after midnight with his mobile phone for long periods, she confronted him – only to find that he was watching pornography on a social media platform.

- Vihanya Rakshika

The 52-year-old accountant, who asked to be identified only as Madam Ng due to privacy concerns, said her son’s behaviour had raised red flags for weeks until she caught him in November 2024.

It turned out that the teen and his friends were sharing links to explicit content on Instagram.

“He promised he would never again look for such obscene content online,” Madam Ng told The Straits Times.

The 15-year-old boy said he had stumbled upon the X-rated content on Instagram while researching a school project, as it was tagged under supposedly educational hashtags related to breastfeeding and health.

Checks by ST between Dec 15 and Dec 31, 2024, showed that content creators on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook have found ways to bypass content moderation, which can involve a mix of artificial intelligence (AI) software and human reviewers.

Experts whom ST approached say there is a need for clearer content guidelines, stronger human oversight, and greater parental involvement to better protect children.

EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTION-RELATED HASHTAGS

During the two-week period in December 2024, ST found more than 20 explicit videos on YouTube and more than 30 such videos on Instagram and Facebook.

These included clips of women pretending to breastfeed baby dolls and exposing their bodies. Such videos were accompanied by education- or instruction-related hashtags and captions.

Links in the social media profiles that posted the videos, as well as captions in the clips, often point people to OnlyFans accounts or websites with explicit content.

OnlyFans is a subscription-based platform where creators can share exclusive content, often adult-oriented, for paying subscribers.