Parents want evidence-based social media rules — survey

Nearly all Filipino parents and guardians want regulations on children’s social media use to be based on evidence, a survey commissioned by the Child Rights Network found, amid moves to tighten minors’ access to digital platforms.

The survey by Momentum Research found that 97 percent of respondents favored evidence-based regulations, highlighting the need to consider children’s actual online experiences in crafting policies.

Momentum Research chief executive Cleve Arguelles presented the findings on Friday, 6 November, based on an online survey of 1,000 parents and guardians nationwide with at least one child aged 8 to 17 who uses social media.

Conducted from 29 October to 2 November, the survey used opt-in respondents and quota sampling across geographical, income and demographic groups.

The findings showed that children primarily use social media to communicate with family and friends (73 percent), for schoolwork and learning (70 percent), and for rest and relaxation (60 percent).

Parents also recognized its benefits, including helping children connect with relatives overseas, learn new skills, express themselves and access information.

Across the benefits presented, agreement ranged from 87 percent to 97 percent.

For online safety, 44 percent of parents cited built-in parental controls and family safety features as effective measures, while 34 percent pointed to child-specific applications such as YouTube Kids and Messenger Kids.

Another 26 percent cited screen-time and application limits. Other practices included checking children’s messages and browsing histories and restricting access to their accounts.