Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine lawmakers are pushing proposals to restrict, or even ban, minors from using social media amid growing concerns over school violence and the risk of young people being exposed to extremist content online.
A bill in the House of Representatives seeks to ban social media use for children under 13 while a separate Senate proposal extends the restriction to those under 16.
The proposed measures would require online platforms to introduce age and identity verification systems and proactively deactivate accounts belonging to users who do not meet age requirements.
Repeated failures to comply could result in penalties of up to 50 million PHP (820,000 USD). The platforms could also be permanently banned in the country.
Debate over children’s social media use has intensified following a June 22 shooting involving two students aged 14 and 15 at San Jose National High School in Tacloban city, which left three students dead and 20 others injured. Philippine Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara said negative influences from the online environment could be among the factors behind the violence.
Cybersecurity experts warn that popular games and social media platforms have increasingly become recruitment grounds for extremist groups. One such group, known as 764, was found to have recruited one of the Tacloban shooters.
Rather than relying solely on bans, experts have called for stronger cooperation with technology platforms to detect, report and remove dangerous content while identifying individuals seeking to lure or recruit children.
Experts also noted that exposure to harmful online content is not the sole cause of violent behaviour. Many children displaying violent tendencies already face difficulties at home or at school. The Philippine Government should therefore also address the shortage of counsellors in schools, expand access to psychological support and strengthen the role of parents in detecting early signs of abnormal behaviour.
Psychologists say family support, setting appropriate boundaries and maintaining regular communication with children remain crucial to reducing the risks of violence and radicalisation among young people./.
Thailand considers social media ban for children under 16
ThaiHealth warned that beyond developmental concerns, children and adolescents face a range of online threats, including cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, online gambling and exposure to advertisements promoting harmful behaviours such as e-cigarette use.
