1 in 5 youths experienced bullying in online games, but small minority tell their parents about it: MCI survey
SINGAPORE — About one in five (17 per cent) youths aged 13 to 18 who play online video games have experienced in-game bullying from other players, a recent survey by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) found.
Yet, close to half (48 per cent) of those who had experienced in-game bullying did not take any action. Only a minority (8 per cent) spoke to their parents about the experience.
The findings, which were released by MCI on Tuesday (Feb 13), came from a door-to-door survey conducted between October 2022 and February 2023. The ministry said the study was designed to better understand youths’ gaming habits and their parents’ awareness and efforts to manage the impact of gaming on their child’s well-being.
A total of 810 Singaporean youths aged between 10 and 18, who played online or video games at least once a month, were polled, as well as their parents.
Despite the prevalence of bullying in online games, the study found that parents generally had low awareness of their child’s gaming activities.
About half (48 per cent) of parents surveyed were able to give an accurate estimate of the amount of time their child spent on gaming, said MCI.
Only three in 10 (31 per cent) parents were fully aware of who their child played with, while one in four (25 per cent) parents were not at all aware of who their child gamed with.
Speaking to academics, teachers, parents, youths and others at a public engagement session at the National Library Building on Tuesday, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said it is important to keep in mind that some users do still come across obscenities, vulgaries and cyberbullying, even if the vast majority do not seem to encounter “very malicious content” when they play games.
“The fact that (youths who experience these) don’t take action is one thing. The fact that they don’t feel comfortable, or they haven’t thought of raising this with their parents, is something I think we have to pay some attention to,” she said.
Mrs Teo added that this was not entirely unusual, as many in their adolescent or growing up years often feel it’s “better not to tell our parents everything” and choose instead to learn from their experiences but keep these to themselves instead.
“That is perhaps okay for most things, but there will be some instances where actually you need adult intervention. And that is the risk that we worry about… (that children and youths) don’t bring it up to their parents until perhaps it is a little bit too late, or that they have already suffered a lot of harm.
“That is maybe an area that we want to make sure that they feel empowered to raise with their parents.”
WHY IT MATTERS
MCI said its survey sought to highlight the need to raise parents’ awareness of their child’s gaming activities and encourage youths to make more informed decisions about their gaming behaviour.
Online games and gaming platforms have come under scrutiny in the past for possibly carrying content depicting explicit sexual activities, inciting violence, or even serving as grounds for extremist groups to radicalise and sometimes recruit young people.
In particular, studies in Singapore show that youths are subjected to high risks of cyberbullying, given that their lives have become more intertwined with smart devices and the internet.
In 2022, a poll of 1,000 respondents in Singapore by the Singapore Sunlight Alliance for Action found that nearly half had experienced some form of online harm, such as being stalked online and cyberbullied.
More than four in 10 respondents said they thought seeking help would not make a difference or did not know what to do, a similar finding to MCI’s poll.
Nevertheless, MCI noted that while its survey focused on the potential risks and dangers that youths may be exposed to, it does not conclude that online gaming “only resulted in negative impacts” for youths.
Other studies, including the Ministry of Health’s 2022 evidence review of screen use in childhood, found that youths benefitted from gaming. These online games enhance perceptual and motor skills, promote teamwork and pro-social behaviour, and serve as platforms for them to express creativity and imagination, said MCI.
Singapore is also hoping to cash in on the burgeoning e-sports industry and has been making investments here to grow the sector. The industry has seen global revenues surge to US$1.6 billion (S$2.2 billion) in 2023, doubling from 2018 figures.
WHAT THE STUDY ALSO FOUND
About one in two (47 per cent) youths aged 10 to 18 gamed every day, and gamers tended to play for two hours or more each time.
MCI’s survey found that more than one-third (38 per cent) of those aged 13 to 18 had sometimes or frequently come across vulgarities or violent content in games. Those who played first-person shooter games were more likely to come across both types of harmful content.
Additionally, more than one in three (36 per cent) youths polled by the authority had played games with strangers sometimes or frequently, while some 14 per cent had engaged strangers outside of gaming.
“Such behaviour presents a risk of potential exposure to adult predators and online scams,” said MCI.
In addition, the study found that parents who were concerned about their child’s gaming habits were more likely to actively manage their child’s gaming activities, including setting limits on gaming time (54 per cent) and using parental control tools (22 per cent).
Still, for youths whose parents set limits on gaming time, about a quarter (24 per cent) lied to their parents about the actual amount of time they spent gaming.
This suggests that restriction on gaming time alone is insufficient to manage youths’ gaming activities, said MCI.
Instead, more must be done to raise the awareness of potential risks and dangers associated with online gaming and to encourage youths to make more informed decisions about their gaming habits, the authority added.
NEW RESOURCES, INITIATIVES
Responding to TODAY’s queries, Associate Professor Razwana Begum, who is head of the public safety and security programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said that it is worrying if youths choose not to share information about their online activities with their parents, as their parents would be unable to step up and intervene where required.
They are kept in the dark and unable to support or solve the issues for their children, she added.
As such, it is extremely important for parents to keep track and be in the know of their children’s online activities and engagement, said Assoc Prof Razwana.
“(Parents) need to learn about the developments (in the online gaming sphere) and keep abreast of the changes,” she said.
“They should develop a strong relationship, (with an) emphasis on open communication from the onset, not be judgemental, and allow the child to explore and share thoughts openly. This is not something that can be done overnight especially when such a bond was not formed at an earlier stage.”
To support parents in guiding their children to navigate the online world more safely and responsibly, MCI also announced new resources and initiatives on Tuesday.
Part of the new initiatives include “bite-sized materials” by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on a range of topics such as managing children’s screen use, cultivating healthy online habits, and safeguarding children from online risks such as cyberbullying and online sexual grooming.
Such resources would be organised according to children’s ages and digital milestones, such as a child’s first smartphone, social media account or online game, said MCI. These will be rolled out in phases from February on the Digital for Life Portal, the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Families for Life Parenting website, and the Ministry of Education’s Parents Gateway.
Besides these, Digital for Life partners will also be conducting workshops, webinars and family activities. Digital for Life is a national movement under IMDA to help citizens embrace digital technologies to enrich their lives.
“These efforts will ensure parents are adequately equipped to guide children to be confident and responsible users of digital technologies,” said MCI.
