NCSS to spend $5.6 million to get more agencies to help gaming, porn and gambling addicts
Ten social services agencies now conduct the Addiction Support Programme for Inclusion, Recovery and Empowerment.
The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore is allocating $5.6 million over three years to support more agencies that help individuals struggling with behavioural addictions. These addictions include problematic pornography consumption, excessive gaming, and gambling. The funding aims to expand the Addiction Support Programme for Inclusion, Recovery and Empowerment (ASPIRE), which currently supports 10 social service agencies (SSAs) in providing early intervention and appropriate care.
In 2024, SSAs under NCSS reported over 780 new cases of behavioural addictions, marking a 50% increase from 2020. NCSS identified this as an emerging unmet need and has taken steps to enhance assistance for those in need. In addition to funding more SSAs, NCSS has collaborated with We Care Community Services to train additional counsellors to identify behavioural addictions and provide early intervention, which includes assessing addiction and guiding individuals to appropriate support while helping them recognize triggers and coping mechanisms.
Early intervention is crucial as behavioural addictions can impact various aspects of a person's life, including relationships, education, and work. We Care, with its decades of experience in managing addictions, will handle more complex cases. The social workers interviewed by The Straits Times noted that the rise in addiction cases can be attributed to easy access to online pornography, gaming, and gambling, the anonymity these platforms provide, and the growing openness in seeking help, especially among males aged 10 to 45.
We Care has observed an 80% increase in porn addiction cases and nearly 90 cases of gambling addiction in 2025, compared to just 200 and 90 cases, respectively, in 2020.
Among the 10 SSAs under ASPIRE, Touch Community Services has also seen a rise in gaming, social media, and pornography addiction cases. They provide individual therapy to address underlying issues and offer group therapy sessions to foster support among individuals facing similar struggles. Early intervention is emphasized, as addiction can rewire the brain, making it essential to disrupt these changes before they become deeply ingrained.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
