Filipino children deserve safe cyberspace, not social media ban — CWC

A safe cyberspace should be provided to Filipino children instead of totally banning them from social media, the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) said Thursday.

"The Council for the Welfare of Children is not agreeable to any total ban. Naniniwala kami na it's like driving a nail with a giant jackhammer. Hindi po 'yan solution. It's the easiest to do, hindi pinag-isipan. It is not beneficial to children," CWC Executive Director Angelo Tapales said.

(The Council for the Welfare of Children is not agreeable to any total ban. We believe it is like driving a nail with a giant jackhammer. It is not the solution. It is simply the easiest to do but it has not been carefully thought through. It is not beneficial to children.)

Tapales made the statement during the launching of Meta-enhanced Teen Accounts in Makati City.

Citing the 2021 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Tapales said children have the right to have meaningful access to digital technology but, at the same time, have the right to protection.

Policies for kids' protection

On the part of CWC, Tapales said the council is working with legislators in crafting measures to protect children in cyberspace.

"The cutoff age [of proposed legislation] in the House of Representatives is like below 18, below 16, below 15, 14 and 13. Iba-iba pa po siya (They vary)," Tapales said.

"The challenge now is, kaming mga stakeholders, is to help the government arrive at the cutoff number," he added.

(The challenge for us stakesholders is to help the government arrive at the cut off number.)

Another matter to be resolved, Tapales said, is aligning the measure to the Filipino context, where concerns of Filipino children are raised and the country's culture and religion are being considered.

"Based on the technical working group and consultations, the challenge is really to Filipinize it. Hindi tayo blindly susunod lang sa ina-apply sa ibang bansa (We will not blindly follow the laws of other countries)," Tapales said.

In 2025, Australia banned social media for children under 16, blocking platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to these users.

Meanwhile, France's National Assembly backed legislation to ban children under 15 years old from social media, amid growing concerns on online bullying and mental health risks.

Earlier this month, the House approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to strengthen the country's protections against online child sexual abuse and exploitation, with new safeguards addressing threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI).

House Bill 9461 or the proposed Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026, strengthens and expands Republic Act 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act, by expanding the definition of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials to include artificial intelligence-generated, synthetic and digitally manipulated content, including deepfakes involving children.

It also criminalizes a broader range of offenses, including online grooming, sexual extortion, luring, image-based sexual abuse and livestreamed exploitation. — VDV, GMA News