SINGAPORE: Artificial intelligence (AI) nudification tools and murder- and gambling-themed games involving payouts were among 65 objectionable apps flagged in Singapore’s first audit of online app stores.
Nudification apps use AI to digitally remove clothing from photos of individuals, generating non-consensual, sexually explicit images.
The audit, conducted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) between April and December 2025, also found that 24 apps did not carry 18+ age ratings as required by the app stores’ own guidelines. These apps contained sexually suggestive material, depicted crime and drug use, or featured firearms in a school setting.
The 65 objectionable apps have since been removed, while the age ratings of the 24 incorrectly labelled apps have been corrected after IMDA notified the stores. They are the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store and Microsoft Store.
“We will continue to hold designated app distribution services responsible for ensuring that users’ access or exposure to harmful content on their services is minimised, and that age ratings are applied accurately and consistently,” IMDA said on Oct 24.
The authority published the findings on Oct 24 in its inaugural Online Safety Assessment Report 2026 for Designated App Distribution Services.
The audit assesses the effectiveness of age checks, the removal of harmful content and protections for children across app stores operated by Apple, Google, Huawei, Microsoft and Samsung.
Age checks and appropriate age ratings became mandatory one year after IMDA’s Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services took effect in March 2025. The measures aim to minimise children’s exposure to content involving sexual, violent, self-harm or cyberbullying themes, among others.
Overall, app stores were found to have baseline safety measures in place, with age checks generally well implemented, IMDA said.
To prevent users under 18 from downloading inappropriate apps, stores check government-issued identity documents or credit card information, scan faces, or analyse online usage patterns.
“However, there is room for improvement in removing apps with harmful content and ensuring apps are age-rated appropriately,” the authority said. It declined to name the apps that had been removed or re-rated.
IMDA’s inaugural report also summarised the app stores’ online safety reports covering the period from April 1 to Dec 31, 2025.
However, some Huawei users accessing specific versions of AppGallery could bypass age checks because of technical limitations, IMDA said.
There were also limited instances of users under 18 being able to download apps rated 18+ through Huawei and Microsoft app stores because of missing restrictions or loopholes that allowed children to turn off the safeguards.
Huawei has since resolved the issue, while Microsoft has implemented an interim solution as it works towards a permanent fix, IMDA said.
Although all app stores provided channels for users to report issues such as harmful apps and fraudulent reviews, they were inconsistent in notifying users of the outcomes or failed to provide updates altogether, the authority said.
The audit also found that Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store failed to notify users within six months after an app they had downloaded was removed.
All app stores have committed to addressing these issues, with Google and Samsung agreeing to improve their notification processes, IMDA said.
To cultivate healthy digital habits among children, the authorities are also working to introduce online safety lessons into the pre-school curriculum.
Building on a pilot initiative involving more than 100 kindergarten pupils from E-Bridge pre-school, the curriculum will be rolled out to 3,000 K1 and K2 pupils across 30 of its centres from December, with more pre-schools expected to join from 2027.
Between June and August, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) also consulted more than 2,000 parents and young people about safe social media access.
Most respondents suggested that children aged six and below should not use social media at all, while those aged seven to 12 could access it if appropriate safeguards were in place. This highlights a preference for supervised access among younger children, well below the minimum age of 13 set by most social media platforms.
The authorities are expected to table proposed legislation in early 2027 to better protect teenagers from addiction and dangerous interactions, including through mandatory age checks.
Measures under consideration include daily time limits and restrictions on infinite scrolling, autoplay and direct messages from strangers.
In August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned that platforms that failed to protect teenagers from features that fuel addiction could be required to raise their minimum age beyond 13.
