News
The content “bordered on soft porn.”
March 25, 2026, 06:43 PM
A father in Singapore said he was alarmed to discover that his two children were able to watch a video that “bordered on soft porn” on their school-issued Personal Learning Devices (PLDs), according to an article by Stomp.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said it has blocked the URL in particular after receiving feedback.
Video allegedly accessed via website Dailymotion
According to the parent, his children, who are both in Secondary Three, were able to watch clips from a Japanese drama series, The Many Faces of Ito, on the video-sharing website Dailymotion using their PLDs.
The clips reportedly showed a man and woman in bed, including scenes where the woman was about to remove her clothes and the man dropped his briefs.
The father said he discovered the videos recently and raised concerns about whether safeguards on the devices were sufficient.
“I just discovered that my children can watch dramas on Dailymotion recently,” he said. “One of the videos bordered on soft porn.”
Parent contacted MOE about concerns
The father said he wrote to MOE on Mar 10 after discovering the videos.
He added that device management applications installed on PLDs are meant to block undesirable Internet content, but questioned how effective they were in practice.
DMA, or device management application, is installed on PLDs to regulate screen time and restrict access to certain websites. Depending on the school, PLDs are typically issued as iPads or Chromebooks.
The parent also said he has ongoing concerns about how students use the devices in school settings.
“I have been fighting the PLD war with my children ever since they started secondary school,” he said, adding that they sometimes use the devices to watch videos, browse social media and play games.
Parent says concerns remain after site blocked
The father said he was later informed on Mar 13 that the video-sharing website Dailymotion had been blocked following his feedback. However, he said he remained concerned about whether similar content could still be accessed through other platforms.
“MOE blocked the website after I alerted them. Does that mean the problem is solved? Are my children now safe?” he said.
He also questioned how effective the DMA is in preventing access to inappropriate content, adding that monitoring students’ device usage may place additional responsibility on schools and teachers.
The father suggested that the wider use of PLDs in schools should be reviewed.
PLDs are issued to secondary school students under the Personalised Digital Learning Programme, which is part of MOE’s National Digital Literacy Programme (NDLP) launched in 2020.
MOE says site blocked after feedback, safeguards in place for PLDs
In response to Mothership’s queries, an MOE spokesperson said the ministry takes feedback on students’ access to inappropriate content on PLDs seriously.
“Regarding the feedback from a parent that students could access inappropriate content on PLDs, we have blocked the identified URL through the Device Management Application to prevent students from accessing the content.”
“We have informed the parent and have also offered to meet up with the parent directly to further address any concerns.
MOE takes proactive and reactive actions to safeguard students by regularly reviewing and blocking undesirable websites that are detected or when MOE is informed of such sites.”
MOE added that schools also equip students with digital literacy skills through Cyber Wellness lessons to guide them to be “safe, respectful and responsible” online users.
The ministry also said it provides Cyber Wellness resources to parents through schools and platforms such as Parents Gateway and the Parent Kit website to support safe device use at home.
Top image via Vodu Trailers YouTube
