Children’s council backs push to restrict Filipino minors’ social media use

By Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel

THE Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) on Tuesday backed proposals to restrict minors’ access to social media platforms, saying such measures could help protect children’s mental health and overall well-being.

In a statement sent via Facebook chat, CWC Undersecretary Angelo M. Tapales said safeguarding children in the digital space is a shared responsibility, and laws must evolve alongside technological change.

Protecting children in the digital space is an “obligation of every Filipino,” Mr. Tapales said. “This is not about restriction, but about meaningful child protection during a stage where children are still developing judgment and resilience.”

The statement followed renewed calls by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian to bar minors from using social media platforms to improve online safety, citing the prevalence of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

In a statement on Monday, Mr. Gatchalian cited Australia’s ban on social media use for those aged 16 and below, the first nationwide policy of its kind globally. He also cited the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment, which linked lower mathematics scores among 15-year-old students to distractions caused by recreational use of digital devices.

Separately, Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros‑Baraquel filed a Senate resolution calling for an inquiry into several online gaming platforms including Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Call of Duty and Free Fire.

The resolution seeks the adoption of strict age verification mechanisms modeled after practices in Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand to prevent minors’ exposure to sexual predators online.

However, an analyst warned that implementing foreign age‑verification systems might be difficult in the Philippine setting due to gaps in cybersecurity infrastructure and digital literacy.

“In other countries, age verification tools include facial recognition or the presentation of valid identification cards,” Maria Elize H. Mendoza, an assistant political science professor at the University of the Philippines, told BusinessWorld. “Both are unreliable in our context.”

Ms. Mendoza also noted that social media platforms serve as essential communication tools for students and parents, particularly through messaging apps and group chats.

“An outright ban could disrupt these practices,” she said in an e-mailed reply to questions, adding that users might try to bypass restrictions, such as through virtual private networks, if alternatives are not provided.

Instead of a total prohibition, Ms. Mendoza recommended stronger content moderation, wider digital literacy programs for children and adults, and greater accountability for platforms hosting minors.

She cited child‑focused versions of apps such as YouTube Kids and Messenger Kids as possible models.

She further suggested requiring explicit parental consent alongside age checks and encouraging schools to promote education‑focused tools such as Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.

Telecommunications companies, she added, could support these efforts by offering affordable data packages for learning platforms.

A 2024 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund estimated that about 2 million Filipino children aged 12 to 17 are subjected to online sexual abuse each year, with 23% to 38% of victims choosing not to report the incidents.

Last week, Indonesia began enforcing regulations deactivating accounts of users aged 16 and below on platforms deemed high risk, including TikTok and Roblox.

In the House of Representatives, Party‑list Rep. Eduardo C. Villanueva earlier filed a bill proposing a minimum age requirement for social media users to strengthen child protection online.