Angara rejects blanket socmed bans
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara called on major technology companies Monday to strengthen protections for Filipino children online, as social media giant Meta acknowledged that minors can still falsify birth dates to evade platform age restrictions.
Speaking at a youth online safety forum in Makati City, Angara stressed that protecting students from cyberbullying, online exploitation, and harmful content requires collaborative action across sectors rather than placing the burden on young internet users.
“Digital safety is a shared responsibility. Parents, teachers, schools, government, civil society, and technology platforms all have a role to play,” Angara said.
Meta Philippines Public Policy Head Gio Tingson admitted that minors can circumvent standard age limits by providing false birth dates during account registration.
Tingson noted, however, that the platform utilizes age-assurance technology to analyze account activity, social connections, and content engagement to detect underaged users.
He added that Meta relies on features like Teen Accounts, which automatically set stricter privacy controls for younger users and require parental authorization for account setting adjustments for those under 16.
Government agencies can also submit content flags through dedicated escalation channels for review against local legislation and community standards.
Angara cautioned against imposing blanket bans on social media usage, noting that digital platforms remain integral to learning and modern communication.
“It is not enough to simply tell children, ‘Do not use social media.’ That is a little like telling a learner, ‘Do not talk to your classmates,’” Angara said, citing data showing an estimated 95.8 million social media users in the Philippines.
To mitigate digital risks, DepEd launched the Kaagapay Parent Engagement Program to help families spot warning signs of online harm and integrated media literacy into the revised Senior High School curriculum.