SINGAPORE: A total of 65 apps with harmful content and 24 that had wrong age ratings were found in a review of over 7,000 across five app stores, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Saturday (Oct 24).
In its first online safety assessment for app stores, IMDA said the apps were identified between April and December 2025 and have since been removed or re-rated. They were found on Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery, Microsoft Store and Samsung Galaxy Store.
Sexual content, violent content and content facilitating vice and organised crime were the most prevalent types of harmful and inappropriate content.
Of the 65 apps that were removed for containing harmful content, 59 contained sexual content, four contained violent content, and two contained content facilitating vice and organised crime.
Apps removed for breaching store policies included one with a “nudification function” that could transform uploaded photos of individuals into sexually explicit images, a game with excessive violent content including murder and a gambling app with crypto or real-money payouts.
Of the 24 apps that were wrongly age-rated, 14 contained sexual content, three contained violent content, and seven contained content facilitating vice and organised crime.
Apps without appropriate age ratings included AI chatbots with sexualised prompts or games related to adult sexual experiences, a game involving weapons in a school setting and a role-playing game set in crime and drug themes.
The number of apps identified is small relative to those available, but shows that some harmful and inappropriate apps may still slip through existing safeguards, IMDA said. It added that accurate age ratings minimise children’s access to inappropriate content and give parents reliable information on whether apps are suitable for their children.
AGE ASSURANCE METHODS
In its report, IMDA also assessed age assurance methods for children, using information from the app stores’ annual online safety reports to the regulator and its own testing and data.
Age assurance methods include age inference, which uses credit card verification and behavioural signals such as search and watch history; age estimation through facial scans; and age verification through official documents such as Singpass. These measures must be implemented in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act.
The regulator used test accounts to simulate and document the user journey at stages where age assurance may be triggered, testing the robustness of checks and ease of circumvention across device types.
It found that the age assurance methods deployed by app stores were present, and measures generally could not be easily circumvented
However, IMDA noted that no age assurance method is "completely foolproof". A child can still circumvent these measures, such as by using their parent’s account to access age-inappropriate content.
Ensuring online safety, especially for young users, must be accompanied by measures such as public education and parental supervision, it added.
IMDA's checks also found that children were largely restricted from downloading 18+ apps by default on all app stores.
However, on Huawei AppGallery and Microsoft Store, the tests uncovered a few instances where restrictions were absent or could be bypassed due to loopholes that let children turn them off. These have mostly been rectified after IMDA engaged the app stores.
App stores were also inconsistent in how they notified users of the outcomes of their reports via reporting channels. Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store did not notify users who had downloaded an app within six months of its removal. Both have agreed to improve their notification processes after engaging with the regulator.
IMDA said it will continue to track progress of improvements and engage the app stores as necessary.
"Should any of the D-ADS (designated app distribution services) fail to satisfy IMDA that it has improved its measures to address the weaknesses, IMDA will not hesitate to explore further options, including potential regulatory action under the Broadcasting Act," it said.
The regulator announced in January 2025 that it would require app stores to implement measures to protect children from inappropriate apps under the Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services.
The code, issued under the Broadcasting Act, came into effect on Mar 31, 2025.