Marcos says social media ban for minors a tough decision
SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday that imposing a blanket social media ban on minors would be a difficult decision, stressing the need to understand the psychological factors behind school violence and online radicalization.
His remarks came after the Senate approved a bill seeking to restrict minors' access to high-risk digital services amid concerns that online platforms are being used to groom young people into committing violent acts.
“First of all, it's not surprising at all that the legislators will really do this and ban whatever it is that we feel is influencing our kids to do these terrible things. Now that we have made a response, we have to look at it further to examine really what are the causes... The question that I always ask when we started discussing this and talking to – hindi ito police problem, hindi ito education problem, this is a psychological problem,” Marcos said during a forum with Philippine media at the Hilton Hotel in Singapore.
The President said authorities must examine what drives young people to commit violent acts, particularly school shootings, rather than rely solely on restrictions and security measures.
He emphasized the need to consult psychologists and psychiatrists specializing in children's mental health to better understand the factors contributing to such behavior.
“So this is what we're trying to understand. And the answers aren't clear because we're looking not only to what happens in the Philippines, we're looking at what's happening everywhere else in the world because unfortunately, this is a generational problem,” he said.
Marcos acknowledged that the government must strengthen protections for young people but cautioned that regulating online platforms presents enforcement challenges, particularly when service providers have no physical presence in the Philippines.
“So, the reason that we immediately banned certain ones was that ‘yung mga provider, kung minsan sinasabi nila wala kaming opisina diyan, wala kaming control, wala kaming magagawa, kaya basically it's out of our hands,” he said.
The President noted that other countries have already introduced restrictions on social media access for children, including age-based bans, but said the Philippines is still studying whether a similar approach would be appropriate.
“The blanket ban, that's also something that still we're studying really hard. Because there are several countries around the world that have already instituted that blanket ban. Sixteen and below. So, it's really a hard question. I have to say that. And it's something that strikes at our heart. Parents, can you imagine? Ako I always say, eh kung ‘yung anak ko ganyan nang nangyari, my God, I don't know what I will do,” Marcos said.
He stressed that addressing school violence requires a combination of preventive measures, including stronger school security, parental involvement and attention to children's psychological well-being.
“It's a hard question. I mean, don't get me wrong. Having the metal detectors in the school, that helps. You know, the teachers and the parents being more attentive and listening to their children, of course, that helps. So, all of these things. There's no silver bullet to this. You have to bring many, many things together,” he said.
Marcos maintained that the government would continue examining the proposed restrictions while pursuing broader measures to protect children from harmful online influences.