Singapore – According to The Nielsen company’s recent study among 1,000 Singaporeans aged 15 and above end of last year month, less than two-fifths of people show apprehension towards the security risks associated with social networking sites. Over half (52%) of the Singapore population are reportedly participating in at least one social networking website, with the most popular being Facebook – as indicated by over two-fifths (42%) of the population. Trailing behind as the second-most accessed community/social networking website is YouTube at 35 percent, while Friendster takes a distant third spot with one in 10 locals using it. “Social media has become a big part of our life in today’s society, especially so in a country as wired as Singapore – and this is particularly true among the younger generations. Nielsen’s findings reveal that almost the entire (95%) 15-19 year old age group are using some form of social networking media, while nine in 10 (89%) of those in their 20s form the next biggest users,” observed Joan Koh, executive director for The Nielsen Company Singapore. “Expectedly, the proportion of users decreases with increasing age, with less than one in 10 (9%) of the above 60 age group use any form of social networking media.” When asked if they had any concerns pertaining to using social networking sites, close to three-fifths (58%) of users did not identify any issues. Among those who did express some form of anxiety, “loss of privacy from sharing personal information” emerged as a top concern – as indicated by nearly a quarter (24%) of existing users. Two other concerns raised by respondents were “the risk of accounts being hacked into” (8%), and “getting messages or requests from strangers” (5%).