Legal definitions
Under Singapore’s Children and Young Persons Act 1993 (“CYPA”), a “child” is a person under the age of 14 years old, while a “young person” is between 14 and 16 years old or, for some provisions, between 14 and 18 years old.
Child pornography or CSAM is referred to as “child abuse material,” which is clearly defined in a manner likely to include computer-generated CSAM. “Child sexual exploitation,” “child sexual abuse,” and “sexually explicit conduct” are not specifically defined but related concepts and conduct are addressed in various laws. “Grooming” is defined and prohibited, primarily in the context of in-person meetings between an offender and a victim.
The age of consent for sexual activity is generally 16 years. In circumstances involving commercial sexual activity or a relationship of trust or authority (such as when one party is a parent or guardian, teacher, coach, medical practitioner, legal representative, or religious leader of the other) the age of consent is 18 years.
Regulatory requirements/recommendations
Online platforms’ legal and regulatory obligations are focused on protecting children as platform users and not from being the exploited subjects of child exploitation content. Regulatory authorities may issue orders to services to disable access to certain content. A “Regulated Online Communication Service” (ROCS) must use both technology and processes to minimize CSAM online and to protect users from related activity including grooming. Human moderation is not required, but online platforms are required to report CSAM of which they are aware to relevant authorities.
Under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (“OCHA”), directions or orders may be issued to individuals or companies—regarding users in Singapore—to disable access to particular content, restrict an account’s activity, stop communication, block access to certain online locations, or remove an app from an online app store.
Age verification requirements/recommendations
Online platforms are not required to implement any method of age verification before a user can access their services.
Parental consent requirements/recommendations
A ROCS is required to provide specific information and account settings and tools to minimize child users’ exposure to harmful content and interactions, but it is not required to obtain parental consent before allowing a child to access their services.
Legal remedies for child victims
Authorities may issue orders to stop publication of, or block access to, CSAM, but victims may not utilize that requirement themselves through injunctions or other means. There are no specific remedies for online child sexual exploitation victims, but Criminal Procedure Code 2010 provides for, but does not require, a general compensation order—in addition to any criminal penalty—upon a criminal conviction. A victim is not entitled to notification when an offender is arrested for conduct related to CSAM depicting the victim.
"Safety by Design" requirements
Online platforms are not required to incorporate “Safety by Design” into their systems.