Angara supports regulating or banning violent online games amid school violence concerns

Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Wednesday expressed support for regulating—and, if necessary, banning—violent online games following recent incidents of school violence.

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Safe Schools Summit and Safety Drill at Manila Science High School, Angara said the government should heed the advice of experts in determining whether certain online games should be prohibited.

“Well, di ako expert pero definitely yung mga damaging… sinabi na si Pangulong Marcos na if we have to ban them, we should ban them. Ang point niya, makinig tayo sa mga eksperto dahil sila yung may experience dito,” Angara told reporters.

(Well, I'm not an expert, but definitely those that are damaging... President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that if we have to ban them, we should ban them. The point is that we should listen to the experts because they have the experience in this area.)

Angara specifically cited the online game GoreBox, saying its violent content is a cause for concern.

“Yung ibang games, yung GoreBox, I think very violent talaga ’yun dahil ang point ng larong iyon is to organize gangs and to inflict harm. ’Yung mga ganoon, palagay ko dapat i-ban, or i-regulate na talaga," he said.

(Some games, like GoreBox, are very violent because the point of the game is to organize gangs and inflict harm. I think games like that should be banned or, at the very least, regulated.)

He also acknowledged that incidents of school violence have become more frequent, adding that experts have linked some cases to harmful social media exposure and other negative online influences.

"Aminado naman tayo na dumadalas ang insidente ng violence. Sabi nga ng mga eksperto, dala rin ng exposure sa mga damaging social media sites at mga masasamang impluwensiya," he said.

(We acknowledge that incidents of violence have become more frequent. Experts say this is also due to exposure to harmful social media platforms and other negative influences.)

Angara added that extremist groups have also been using online platforms to recruit members, underscoring the need to protect children from harmful digital content while promoting healthy family environments.

Meanwhile, Angara said the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility should be left to Congress, stressing that the Department of Education's (DepEd) priority is strengthening school safety measures.

“Yung sa lowering the age siguro we’ll leave that to Congress. Kami sa DepEd, we are really trying to improve our protocols," he said.

(As for lowering the age, we'll leave that to Congress. At DepEd, we are focused on improving our safety protocols.)

He cited ongoing efforts to enhance school security, including bag inspections, the use of metal detectors, and active threat response drills, while acknowledging that some perpetrators still manage to evade these measures.

Angara also said DepEd continues to strengthen guidance and child protection services by activating guidance offices in schools and training designated faculty members in campuses that do not have licensed guidance counselors.

DepEd earlier said the shooting incident at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City highlighted the need to hire more guidance counselors to help address students' mental health and behavioral concerns.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Malcolm Garma, every public school should have at least one guidance counselor, while larger schools should have three to five counselors, depending on their student population.

Aside from hiring more guidance counselors, DepEd also aims to change students' perception of guidance offices, as many still associate being called in by a guidance counselor with having done something wrong or being in trouble. —VBL, GMA News