6 hours ago
2
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Rhodina Villanueva - The Philippine Star
October 10, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A blanket ban on social media for children under 18 will not prevent incidents of youth-related violence, including school shootings, the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) said.
Urging the government to adopt a comprehensive approach to protecting young people, the group said incidents of school violence are complex issues with multiple contributing factors beyond the digital space, stressing that preventing violence requires mental health support and other interventions.
“A blanket ban is a non-solution to keeping young people safe. Preventing violence requires a comprehensive approach that includes mental health support, safe school environments, responsible online platforms and early identification and intervention,” PMHA national executive director Dr. Carolina Uno-Rayco said in a statement.
PMHA stressed that protecting young people means keeping them safe while respecting their right to connect, participate, learn and engage with others both online and offline.
Instead of a blanket ban, the group called for stronger platform safeguards against harmful content and greater support from families, schools and communities.
“We support ongoing discussions around promoting online safety by design, and ensuring young people are empowered through support and digital literacy to navigate both online and offline spaces safely. This includes building healthy digital habits, recognizing harmful content and behavior and knowing when to seek help,” Uno-Rayco said.
Echoing PMHA’s position, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged policymakers to adopt a broader approach to child online safety, emphasizing that children’s experiences online and offline are deeply interconnected.
“Children are being exposed to real harm in digital environments that were not designed with their safety and well-being in mind. At the same time, we must recognize that growing up today means growing up in a digital world… with risks in one environment often fueling harm in the other,” UNICEF Representative to the Philippines Kyungsun Kim said.
“We all have a shared responsibility to ensure that digital platforms are safe, age-appropriate and rights-respecting by design, while strengthening the systems and support that help keep children safe in their homes, schools and communities,” he added.
UNICEF said proposed restrictions should be informed by evidence and form part of broader efforts to strengthen the child protection system while safeguarding children’s safety, privacy, access to information and right to participate.
According to the Philippines Kids Online study, children primarily use the internet for education and to connect with friends their own age.
While digital platforms offer opportunities for learning, connection and participation, they also expose children to risks.
The agency warned that poorly designed or implemented bans could restrict access to information and support networks or push children toward less-regulated online spaces without addressing technology companies’ responsibility to make their services safer.
‘Not smart’
Akbayan Youth also criticized the proposed ban, saying it fails to address digital platforms’ responsibility to protect young users and could push children toward less-monitored online spaces while disrupting their education and the livelihoods of working students.
“Banning social media outright without considering its effects on young people is not smart. It is turning away from the responsibility to protect them,” Akbayan Youth national chairperson Khylla Meneses said.
The group argued that technology companies, rather than young users, should be held accountable for addictive platform features and harmful content.
Meneses said Senate approval would not end the group’s opposition to the measure, urging lawmakers to listen to affected young people and strengthen platform accountability instead of imposing a blanket prohibition.
“Do not punish the youth. Hold accountable the platforms that profit from how social media operates,” she said.
The groups issued their statements after the Senate on Thursday approved Senate Bill 2424, or the proposed Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, on third and final reading, with 16 senators voting in favor and Sen. Risa Hontiveros in opposition.
The measure seeks to protect children from the physical, mental, social and emotional harms associated with social media use by prohibiting those below 18 from creating accounts or accessing platforms classified as high-risk digital services.
It would require these platforms to suspend, restrict, disable or remove accounts owned, operated or used by minors. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Bella Cariaso
