THE government will set aside S$5 million (US$2.8 million) under its new Internet Public Education Fund to make it safer for children to access the web.

"Beyond the efforts to keep children away from undesirable online content and influences, we should provide them with alternative positive content that enables them to benefit from the potential of the Internet," said Minister for Information and the Arts Lee Yock Suan.

Industry players and the wider community at large can utilise the fund to "develop access management tools, create appealing and safe content for children," he said.

A survey conducted by the Parents Advisory Group for Internet showed that 77 percent of parents were concerned with their children accessing undesirable content on the Internet, Lee said.

"The considerable parental concern on what their children see and the desire to pull the plug on the Internet use should alert the industry to take greater responsibility in offering access that suits the needs of young users," he said.

A recent survey by European research company NetValue showed that more than a third of Singaporean Internet users go to X-rated sites with young male students the main visitors.

Singapore is one of the most wired society in the world, with three out of five Singapreans having access to the Internet.