This scenario prompts housewife Magdalene Teo, 42, and her husband to stay vigilant when their 11-year-old son does online research at home.

'We also teach him how to make good decisions,' she said. Imparting good values before puberty will also help him navigate the Web wisely, she added.

Parents like her who wrestle with cyber-safety for children are comforted that a government-appointed council has suggested that an agency be created to help shield minors from the Internet's dark side.

The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) said dangers will multiply and these include cyber-bullies, Web addiction and harmful content, for instance, sites glorifying hate speech.

Protection of minors is a top concern for the panel, which recently consulted diverse groups, from parents to industry players to organisations.

Aims chairman Cheong Yip Seng told a news conference yesterday that the Government should pour more resources into cyber-safety as Singapore grows ever more digital.

A dedicated agency involving various ministries can drive the overall effort. Among its possible roles: push a national strategy on cyber-safety, and develop local research on this issue.

Aims member Koh Su Haw, who is assistant vice-president of the Singapore Exchange, noted that initiatives on cyber-safety exist in the community. But an inter-ministerial agency will reduce the duplications and inefficiencies, he said.

Currently, cyber-safety plans here involve legislation, public education and technical solutions, such as filters.

For instance, the Family Access Network (FAN) was rolled out as far back as 1998 for subscribers - typically busy parents - to filter Internet content.

Yet, not many parents know about it, including those consulted by Aims over six weeks recently. The panel now recommends that the agency publicise FAN, and let families enjoy free use of it.

Mr Adrian Liew, 39, a project manager, plans to install the filter. Parents must play an active role, he said, but they also need the Government's muscle in a cyber-war.

'We need a formalised approach. An agency will be able to work continuously,' said Mr Liew, who is thinking pre-emptively as his children are only six and two.

Aims also recommends that the symbolic ban on 100 sites be lifted.

The rationale? Aims said in its report: 'While there is merit in symbolism, it becomes counter-productive when it encourages complacency.

'Parents are given a false sense of security and have little incentive to take an active role in protecting their children.'

In this light, Aims made it clear that the focus has to be on education and the media literacy of parents, teachers and minors.

Indeed, Mr Cheong, the retired editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English and Malay Newspapers Division, thinks the bulk of new government resources can go to education.

'We believe that in the long run, it is more effective to get parents and children educated on how to navigate the dangers on the Net,' he said.

The Government will study the recommendations and make known its position in 11/2 months, according to a statement from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts yesterday.

The panel has offered a range of recommendations, some of which were flagged in its August consultation paper. These include an annual fund for cyber-safety.

It also encourages 'a spirit of volunteerism'. Fighting cyber-crime requires many helping hands, it reasons, and is really a community responsibility.

siewhua@sph.com.sg