Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines on Tuesday had urged lawmakers to “rethink” proposals that seek to ban the use of social media for children.
In a statement, CRN cited growing skepticism in Australia, where the policy is being implemented for children below the age of 16 and that children need to be protected online and that banning the use of social media could create more problems than solve them..
“While we recognize the intention of the bills filed seeking to ban children’s access to social media, we believe that a blanket social media ban is not the solution. CRN believes that what should be prioritized is making the online environment safer and the social media platforms less addictive by design,” CRN Convener and Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) Au Quilala said.
“These are features that directly shape how children experience social media, the same ones children themselves have expressed concerns about. By strengthening safeguards and focusing on these features, the law can stay effective even as new internet intermediaries emerge,” she added.
Citing opinion from stakeholders, CRN said that the government “could look into strengthening safeguards for children and regulating harmful social media features, such as visibility in public search results, infinite scroll, late-night notifications, and algorithms that push content designed to drive long engagement, such as ‘rage bait’ content.”
“CRN shared that it recently held conversations with key experts in Australia who closely followed their law from proposal to enforcement. One major issue was that children were not consulted. Adults made decisions without hearing from the very group the law is meant to protect – the children,” the group shared.
“CRN is firm in the recommendation that children from various sub-sectors in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and BARMM must be consulted, and that a ban or a prohibition-heavy approach may not serve the best interests of Filipino children,” it added.
“As seen in Australia, children do not just stop using social media because of a ban. They find ways around the rules, sometimes with the help of their own parents, or just move to other platforms,” it also said.
The group said in Australia, the ban removed 4.8 million accounts of those under the age of 16, while seven out of 10 children still have social media accounts.
“What this shows is that the law is not fully working in practice. If the Philippines follows the same approach as Australia, it could end up with a law that looks strict on paper, but is widely ignored in reality,” Quilala said.
“Children should not be blocked from the digital world. They should be able to access it safely in ways that are appropriate to their age,” she added.
Quilala also said that as a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, “the Philippines is bound by law to uphold the rights of children to survival, development, protection, and – especially in case of the proposed social media ban – participation.”
The children’s rights group called on lawmakers to focus and prevent internet abuse.
“CRN encourages lawmakers to strengthen programs that teach children, young people, and parents how to use the internet safely. These programs help people make better choices online. Any regulation should be matched with digital safety education and training for parents,” the group said.
Existing community programs from the government also include the Family Development Sessions, Parent Effectiveness Services, and the Parents-Teachers Associations in schools, which the CRN said will require the Department of Information and Communications Technology in coordinating with relevant agencies, which includes the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the integration with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
“This could help equip parents and caregivers with the tools they need to guide their children, and ensure that online safety starts at home,” Quilala said.
Several countries have imposed bans or have pending legislation on social media use for children, including the Philippines. Australia began by implementing the ban in December of last year.
