Internet & Online Safety - Singapore

The Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act took effect 1 Feb 2023, adding online-safety provisions to the Broadcasting Act 1994 that let IMDA direct online communication services accessible in Singapore to disable access to or block egregious harmful content (e.g. child sexual abuse, terrorism, suicide/self-harm material).

From July 2023 IMDA's Code requires designated social media services (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, HardwareZone) to mitigate six categories of harmful content and protect minors; IMDA publishes periodic Online Safety Assessment Reports on their compliance.

Under the Code of Practice for App Distribution Services (effective 31 March 2025, s.45L Broadcasting Act), designated app stores (Apple, Google, Huawei, Samsung, Microsoft) must implement age-assurance; from 1 April 2026 they must block under-18s from age-inappropriate apps and under-12s from social apps, using methods such as facial age estimation, Singpass/government ID or credit-card data.

Partially in force since 1 Feb 2024, OCHA lets designated officers issue five types of directions (stop-communication, disabling, access-blocking, account-restriction, app-removal) to online services on reasonable suspicion that content furthers a specified offence, with a lower threshold for scams and malicious cyber activity.

POFMA, in force since 2 Oct 2019 and administered by the POFMA Office within IMDA, lets ministers issue correction and account-restriction directions against false statements of fact communicated in Singapore; non-compliance carries fines and imprisonment.

The Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 (passed 5 Nov 2025) creates an Online Safety Commission and statutory torts; from 29 June 2026 victims of harms such as harassment, intimate-image abuse, doxxing and online stalking can obtain rapid relief and claim directly against communicators, administrators and platforms.