The Infocomm Media Development Authority (“IMDA“) has issued the inaugural Online Safety Assessment Report on Designated Social Media Services (“DSMSs“) (“Report“), which assesses the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the online safety measures implemented by DSMSs to mitigate risks from harmful content, and highlights areas for improvement. The Report allows users, including parents, to make informed decisions for themselves and their children about the risks and available safety measures on the six DSMSs. These are Facebook, HardwareZone, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
The Report follows the Code of Practice for Online Safety – Social Media Services (“Code“), which was published in July 2023, and requires DSMSs to put in place system-level measures to: (i) minimise users’ access to harmful content; (ii) empower users with effective and easy-to-use mechanisms to report harmful content; and (iii) be transparent and accountable to users by submitting annual online safety reports for publishing on IMDA’s website.
The Report assessed whether the DSMSs’ measures were comprehensive and effective in achieving the Code’s outcomes. To assess effectiveness, test accounts were set up to simulate real-world user experiences, and “mystery shopper” tests were conducted by reporting harmful content that violated the DSMSs’ own community guidelines to assess if user reporting and resolution mechanisms were effective.
Each DSMS received an overall rating as well as ratings for individual sections of the Code, which reflect the extent to which DSMSs achieved this. Overall, the ratings show that DSMSs generally performed well in “User safety measures for all users” and “Accountability”, while some DSMSs did not do as well in “User safety measures for children” and “User reporting and resolution”.
- User safety measures – CSEM: The Report found that DSMSs have largely put in place safety measures for all users. However, it found that one DSMS needed to improve the effectiveness of its efforts in proactively detecting and removing child sexual exploitation and abuse material (“CSEM“). IMDA requires that DSMS to provide IMDA with an update on steps taken to improve the effectiveness of its measures against CSEM.
- User safety measures – children: The Report also found that DSMSs should do more to improve the effectiveness of their measures in protecting children from harmful and age-inappropriate content, including the enforcement of their community guidelines for children. In particular, it was found that children’s accounts could still access harmful and age-inappropriate content on some DSMSs, and some age-gating measures could be easily bypassed.
- User reporting and resolution: DSMSs should improve the effectiveness and timeliness of their responses to user reports. The Report noted that all DSMSs, except one, took action on only approximately 50% or less of the content that violated their own community guidelines. Most DSMSs also took an average of five days or more to take action on these user reports.
- Taking steps to improve on these areas: DSMSs need to take greater responsibility to protect children. IMDA is studying how Social Media Services should use age assurance technology to better protect children and youth online. DSMSs will also need to provide IMDA with updates on the steps taken to improve on these areas in their next annual online safety report.
Click on the following links for more information (available on the IMDA website at www.imda.gov.sg):
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