The Palace official, however, did not specifically mention Facebook, unlike the CICC, saying that such a proposal would need further study.
“If it is necessary and that is what the studies show, because there are really many issues — not only the violence that we see on different social platforms and social media — but we also need to study whether these platforms are contributing to the spread of fake news in our country,” Castro said.
She warned that social media platforms would be banned if they do not follow the government’s regulations.
“If any social media platform does not exercise accountability and our requests to protect our fellow Filipinos from violence and fake news are being ignored, or if their response is too slow, then it would be worth considering and studying whether they should remain part of our system,” she said.
Curtailing free speech
Asked whether such support would curtail freedom of speech, Castro said any decision to ban a social media platform would depend on the nature of the content being posted.
“Fake news is different. Simply expressing your opinion is different. If you are a critic, that is not prohibited. No critic is being prohibited, especially under President Marcos Jr.,” she said.
“What we cannot accept, and what the President especially cannot accept, is the spread of fake news. Because if fake news prevails and we are now living in a world of fake news, what will happen to the future of our youth and the future of our country if we end up living on nothing but fake news?” Castro said.
DataReportal, a digital research platform that provides free reports on global internet, social media, mobile and e-commerce trends, reported that the Philippines ranks among the most active and engaged social media markets globally, boasting approximately 95.8 million active social media user identities — equivalent to roughly 81.9 percent of the total population.
Further, it said that Facebook achieved an active user reach of approximately 90.8 million to 95.8 million users in the Philippines in 2025, representing roughly 94.9 percent of the country’s online user base.
Possible Roblox influence
Just days earlier, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the junior high school student who carried out the 18 August shooting at a school in Zamboanga City may have been influenced by the online game Roblox.
The game had previously been linked to incidents of online child exploitation, prompting Remulla to call for its total ban.
In April, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 2066, or the Social Media Safety for Children Act, which seeks to prohibit minors under 16 from registering, accessing, and maintaining accounts on social media platforms.
The proposal would require platform providers to implement age and identity verification systems, regularly audit accounts to detect and deactivate those belonging to underage users, and establish reporting and response mechanisms to prevent violations.
Further, it would mandate safeguards to prevent a circumvention of age restrictions, including controls on duplicate or reactivated accounts, as well as tools to support parental supervision and responsible use.
