VANCOUVER, Canada — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) said that the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility should be carefully studied, saying that it may imply that "children have changed from before."
Speaking to reporters, Marcos acknowledged that the youth are now living in a "different world," but it must be clear what triggers some children to sow violence.
"I’m not saying that’s not the case. It’s possible. The world has changed. Their exposure to social media has changed," he said.
The President said child psychologists and experts studying the mental health of young people should first determine whether today's children think and behave differently from previous generations because of their exposure to technology and social media.
"I'm not sure how that will work. We have to study it further. Our child psychologists, the surveys being conducted, the mental health of children, that must be carefully studied," Marcos said. "Because if we are lowering the age of responsibility for such crimes, then it would imply that children have changed from before," he added.
The issue resurfaced following the shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City in June, where three students were killed, and several others were injured after a shooting involving minors.
The incident triggered renewed calls from some lawmakers and local officials to revisit the country's juvenile justice laws and lower the age of criminal responsibility.
Under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, children ages 15 years old and below are exempt from criminal liability, while those above 15 but below 18 may only be held liable if they acted with discernment.
The law was amended in 2013 through Republic Act 10630, which retained the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15 despite proposals to lower it.
Marcos linked concerns over juvenile crime to children's exposure to violent online content and video games.
The President said that the controversial mobile and computer game Gorebox has been banned in the country after investigations showed that one of the Tacloban school shooters was an avid fan of the game.
He also agreed to ban games that are clearly "responsible for the desensitization of our children to violence."
Marcos said the government would continue consulting experts on the psychological effects of social media, online violence, and pornography on children before deciding on broader policy responses.
"When it is clear that a certain game, or a class of games, is responsible for the desensitization of our children to violence, then yes, I think we should ban them," he added.
