MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said social media and internet platforms must establish local legal entities and maintain in-country representatives to make it easier for authorities to hold the platforms accountable for harmful content, particularly those targeting children.
Hontiveros made the remarks after Sen. Erwin Tulfo raised concerns over the proliferation of violent and graphic content involving children on social media, including images and videos linked to recent school shootings.
“That is why it is crucial for every internet and social media stakeholder, which serves as, or is turned into, a space for such harmful content and practices, especially those targeting our children, to actually have a juridical entity,” Hontiveros said during the plenary session.
Hontiveros also called for a stronger regulation of the platforms’ business model, particularly the use of virality to generate profit and further spread harmful content.
“That virality is being exploited to make a profit, to further spread that harmful content, and to use that harmful content against our children,” she added.
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III expressed support for calls to compel social media sites to strictly enforce its community standards, especially in cases where violence is depicted.
In his manifestation, Sotto noted how traditional media practice self-regulation during sensitive situations and cited CNN's coverage of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York where they did not show footages of the victims.
Community standards are official rules that set boundaries for acceptable behavior and content on online platforms like Meta.
"CNN never showed any victim. They showed rubble but not a single victim was shown even the following day. Hopefully, with what Sen. Erwin Tulfo brought up, this should serve as a wakeup call for Meta," he added.
