74% of internet users in S'pore encounter harmful content: MDDI

More internet users here are encountering harmful content such as cyber bullying or sexual content online, with the number rising to 74 per cent of those polled in an April survey, up from 65 per cent in 2023.

- Zhaki Abdullah

But only about a quarter of them report it.

The 2024 survey was conducted by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).

Of the harmful content encountered, there was also a notable increase on social media in content that incited racial or religious tension, and in violent content. These went up by 13 percentage points and 19 percentage points, respectively, compared with 2023.

The survey of 2,098 people in Singapore aged 15 and above found that 66 per cent of respondents had come across harmful content on designated social media services, which include platforms such as Facebook and HardwareZone.

This is up from 57 per cent in 2023, when the first such survey was conducted by the then Ministry of Communications and Information.

The increase took place despite the introduction of measures aimed at reducing users’ exposure to harmful content online.

The designated social media services are six platforms – Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Facebook and HardwareZone – with significant reach or impact that are required to comply with the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Code of Practice for Online Safety, which came into effect in July 2023.

The code requires that these services minimise Singapore users’ exposure to harmful content, with additional protection for children, among other measures.