X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

More Singaporean Students Involved In Sexting, Says Poll

3 min read

According to a Straits Times report, a survey of over 2,500 Singaporean secondary school kids has revealed that the number of those engaging in “sexting” has doubled from a year ago.

Sexting is when you exchange sexually explicit text or images through mobile picture messages, the Internet or with the use of a webcam. Young people also call it cybersex or a nudie.

The survey, which was conducted from January to May this year, found that:

“4.2 per cent of upper secondary students and 1.9 per cent of lower secondary students had sent lewd messages, photos and videos, or posted risque content via their mobile phones. This is up from 2.3 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively last year.”

It also found out that more teenagers are now aware of sexting and what it means —  71% of upper secondary students and 53% of lower secondary students said they knew what the term meant, in comparison with 62% and 41% respectively last year.

More Singaporean Students Involved In Sexting, Says Poll

Image source: iStock

 

Cause for concern

Mr Chong Ee Jay, manager of Touch Cyber Wellness, a voluntary welfare group that teaches Internet safety, explains that the trend of sexting started in the USA and the UK in 2010. He said the trend started catching on in Singapore about two years ago.

Mr Chong has expressed concern about the rise in the number of students involved in sexting, even though the majority of these cases happen within boy-girl relationships, rather than with strangers.

He says, “We tell students that there’s no guarantee of privacy for anything that is sent via tech devices, and there are consequences if the photos are leaked.”

He draws attention to a case last year when the boyfriend of a Secondary 4 girl asked her to send him nude pictures of herself, saying they were only for his own viewing.

But the boy showed the pictures to his friends, and the girl was labelled a “slut”.

As parents, there’s a limit we can shield our kids from technology, especially as they grow older — such as in the case of Stella, whose disturbing story we shared recently.

But we can do our best to educate our children on cyber-safety and the potential consequences of sharing their personal information online.

For more on sexting and valuable tips on how to prevent your child from engaging in it, read this theAsianparent article.

Parents, at what age do you think kids should have their own mobile phones? How do you make sure your children won’t engage in trends such as sexting? Do share your mummy wisdom with us by dropping a comment below. 

Partner Stories
Facing Parenting Challenges? Help is at Hand. Just Reach Out.
Facing Parenting Challenges? Help is at Hand. Just Reach Out.
Parenting Lesson from a New Mum - Don’t Try to Do it All on Your Own!
Parenting Lesson from a New Mum - Don’t Try to Do it All on Your Own!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Bathroom Cleaning 101: A Complete Clean in Just 5 Minute Featuring Tips from Zoe Raymond
Bathroom Cleaning 101: A Complete Clean in Just 5 Minute Featuring Tips from Zoe Raymond

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

theAsianparent

  • Home
  • /
  • Parenting
  • /
  • More Singaporean Students Involved In Sexting, Says Poll
Share:
  • 5 Affordable Enrichment Classes For Primary And Secondary School Students In Singapore

    5 Affordable Enrichment Classes For Primary And Secondary School Students In Singapore

  • Why kids need to learn how to be smarter than the internet

    Why kids need to learn how to be smarter than the internet

  • Joshua Tan’s Wife Reveals His Romantic Side, Says Longest Separation Was Only 6 Weeks in 5-Year Long-Distance Romance

    Joshua Tan’s Wife Reveals His Romantic Side, Says Longest Separation Was Only 6 Weeks in 5-Year Long-Distance Romance

  • Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

    Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

  • 5 Affordable Enrichment Classes For Primary And Secondary School Students In Singapore

    5 Affordable Enrichment Classes For Primary And Secondary School Students In Singapore

  • Why kids need to learn how to be smarter than the internet

    Why kids need to learn how to be smarter than the internet

  • Joshua Tan’s Wife Reveals His Romantic Side, Says Longest Separation Was Only 6 Weeks in 5-Year Long-Distance Romance

    Joshua Tan’s Wife Reveals His Romantic Side, Says Longest Separation Was Only 6 Weeks in 5-Year Long-Distance Romance

  • Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

    Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.