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More than 4 in 5 in S'pore encounter harmful content online: MDDI surveys
The Straits Times
|October 11, 2025
More than four in five Singapore residents encountered harmful online content such as scams and cyber bullying in the past year.
This is one of the key findings of the Perceptions of Digitalisation Survey by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, with the results released on Oct 10.
Content supporting illegal activities such as scams or the sale of prohibited items was the most frequently encountered, followed by sexual, violent and cyber-bullying materials as well as posts that cause racial or religious tension.
A similar survey by MDDI in 2024 found that three-quarters of respondents had experienced harmful content online, up from 65 per cent in 2023.
The most recent survey polled 2,008 Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 15 and above, with a representative sample of the population by gender, age and race.
Respondents found harmful content mostly on Meta's Facebook, followed by YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram.
When queried, a MDDI spokesperson said the 2024 and 2025 polls differed in terms of methodology and questions asked. For instance, the 2024 poll asked respondents about the harmful content they encountered online in the last six months, while the latest survey polled them on the past year.
MDDI's 2025 Perceptions of Digitalisation Survey also asked about harmful behaviour experienced online, of which catfishing was the most prevalent.
This story is from the October 11, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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