12/09/2026
๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ฒ
The Child Rights Network expresses its firm opposition to a blanket social media ban for children under 16.
Children, just like adults, have digital rights โ and the government must put the best interests of the child at the heart of every decision affecting those rights.
The digital environment is no longer separate from our everyday human experience. It is an extension of our offline world, where adults learn, search for information, and communicate with their peers โ a space to express ourselves and take part in whatโs happening around us. ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐น๐๐, ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ผ๐ผ.
Protecting children online, therefore, cannot simply mean keeping them away from the internet. It must also mean ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐.
It means shaping a digital environment that supports their full range of rights โ to ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น, ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
This is also the approach reflected in General Comment No. 25 of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Adopted in 2021, ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ก๐ผ. ๐ฎ๐ฑ provides guidance on how childrenโs rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child apply in the digital environment. The Philippines is a State Party to the Convention.
The General Comment makes clear that State Parties, such as the Philippines, have a responsibility to shape digital environments that are not only safe, but are also ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด for children.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น. ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
We teach children how to recognize risks, seek help, and talk to trusted adults.
We support parents in building family environments where open communication thrives โ where their children can ask questions and be heard without fear of being judged, shamed, or dismissed.
We create school and online environments where children can navigate their daily lives with their physical and mental well-being intact, ready to face lifeโs challenges and free from bullying and other forms of abuse.
We build communities where children can speak up and report wrongdoing, and where everyone shares responsibility for keeping them safe โ so they are not left isolated or pushed toward communities that may exploit, groom, or lead them down toward harmful life paths.
And we hold platforms and adults accountable for creating, enabling, or exploiting unsafe environments for children โ including business models, platform designs, harmful content, grooming, exploitation, or other conditions that put children at risk.
๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ-๐ผ๐ณ-๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต.
It risks placing the burden of navigating online harms on children and their families, while leaving the underlying systems that create those harms largely untouched.
The Child Rights Network believes that a blanket social media ban mistakes restriction for resolution. It is a simplistic answer to a complex issue that deserves more thought and consultation.
It sidelines the responsibility of legislators to consult in a meaningful way the very sector that it seeks to protect โ the children. We ask, in all these debates and proposed resolutions about a social media ban: ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป?
As one child representative from the Batang Juan Network, a member of the Child Rights Network, puts it:
โ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ค๐๐๐๐ก ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ค๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐จ. ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ข๐ค๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐จ, ๐จ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ, ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฃ, ๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค. ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐-๐๐๐จ๐๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ก๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐จ๐๐ง๐จ."
โ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ, ๐จ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ, ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ก๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ช๐จ๐. ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก๐จ, ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ค๐๐๐๐ก ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ.โ
This is what is missing from the adultsโ push for a social media ban. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐น๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ โ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐.
Australiaโs under-16 social media restriction, which was a political decision rather than based on scientific study, demonstrates that a legal ban does not necessarily mean children disappear from these platforms. In fact, as one independent study reported, nearly 86% of under-16s surveyed were still using at least one platform covered by their social media ban. In most cases, the parents themselves create the accounts for their children.
This means that our human experience โ connecting with our loved ones, sharing, seeking information, expressing ourselves, and participating in the world around us โ cannot simply be contained. We cannot wish away the digital environment that children have grown up in.
To our legislators proposing a social media ban: we can do better than simply taking away their access, their participation, and their rights, in the name of โprotection.โ
If we are to truly protect children, we need to make their environments safer and prepare them for the digital world they already are living in.
And most importantly, in all matters affecting children, we must not forget that they have a right to be consulted. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ.
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