IMDA found 65 objectionable apps across five app stores in its first audit, including nudification tools and gambling-style games. IMDA published the findings in its first Online Safety Assessment Report on Saturday (24 October). All 65 apps have since been removed.
What the audit found
IMDA reviewed 7,000 apps between April and December 2025 on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store and Microsoft Store.
Besides the 65 objectionable apps, 24 apps were not rated 18+ under the stores’ own rules. They carried sexually suggestive material, crime and drug use, or firearms in a school setting. The stores have corrected the ratings. IMDA did not name the apps.
Age checks
Age checks became mandatory a year after IMDA’s Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services took effect in March 2025. Stores now verify age through identity documents or credit cards, face scans or usage patterns.
IMDA found the age checks largely well implemented, with exceptions. A small share of Huawei users on certain AppGallery versions could bypass age checks, and some under-18 users on Huawei and Microsoft stores could download 18+ apps. Huawei has fixed its issue, and Microsoft has an interim fix in place.
Reporting gaps
All stores let users flag harmful apps, but they were inconsistent in telling users the outcome, or did not tell them at all. Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Store did not notify users within six months when an app they had downloaded was removed. Google and Samsung have agreed to improve.
Social media rules next
MDDI spoke to more than 2,000 parents and young people from June to August. Most backed age-appropriate access with safeguards over an outright ban. The government expects to table legislation in early 2027 requiring age checks, with default limits on screen time, infinite scroll, autoplay and messages from strangers under consideration.
