SINGAPORE: Only 37 per cent of parents in Singapore felt confident in their ability to guide their child’s digital habits, according to survey findings released by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Friday (Sep 12).

The remaining 63 per cent felt little or no confidence in their ability to do so.

"For parents who expressed little or no confidence, the main challenges cited were limited time due to work or other commitments, the child’s reluctance to follow rules, the child’s ability to bypass parental controls, and parents’ limited knowledge of parental controls or monitoring tools," said MDDI in a press release.

MDDI's survey on digital parenting was conducted in February to better understand how parents are managing their child’s digital activities, with the aim of informing the government how it can better support parents.

The survey was conducted online and valid responses were received from 1,986 Singapore residents with children aged two to 17.

Survey responses were weighted accordingly to ensure representativeness of Singapore's resident parent population in terms of age, gender or race. 

Almost all the parents surveyed expressed concern about online harm or risk that their child may face while engaging in online activities.

Exposure to inappropriate content was the top concern, followed by interactions with strangers online and cyberbullying.

"Most parents acknowledged the need for them to play their part in guiding their child’s digital habits, with almost nine in 10 of them already taking at least one action, such as restricting usage duration or content types," said MDDI.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about the impact of technology on young people in his 2025 National Day Rally speech.

He said that Singapore must make full use of technological developments. "But we must also be clear-eyed about the downsides, and manage them carefully. And that means striking the right balance. 

"A balance between protecting our young from the potential harms. And equipping and empowering them to fully exploit the benefits of technology," he added.

He acknowledged in his speech that it was difficult for parents "to set boundaries, or even to know what their children ...