Many teens find ‘safe refuge’ on social media – child protection specialist

MANILA, Philippines — While concerns over the harmful effects of social media on children grow, a child protection specialist on Thursday cautioned against the total ban of online platforms among the youth, noting that many teenagers also find support and a sense of belonging in digital spaces.

According to Stairway Foundation’s Child Protection Specialist Ysrael Diloy, “Another nuance thing that we have to consider for the aspect of social media ban is that for other countries, for the Philippines, many teens actually find safe refuge within social media.”

“For example, there are LGBTQIA+ teens, who belong to the community, [who] find it safer to discuss their personal struggles within these social media spaces,” Diloy explained Thursday during Meta Philippines’ launch of its enhanced Teen Accounts.

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He made the remark when the topic of complete social media ban was discussed in Screen Smart, a digital literacy event hosted by Meta Philippines in Makati.

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During the panel discussion, they cited bills that remain pending among committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Among these are Senate Bill No. 2066 that seeks to prohibit minors under 16 from registering, accessing, or maintaining accounts on social media platforms and House Bill No. 9078, prohibiting access to minors below 18 and imposing obligations on social media companies.

Teen Accounts protections

As discussions on youth online safety go on, Malina Enlund, Meta Head of Safety Policy, said its enhanced Teen Accounts are designed to regulate age-appropriate “contact, content and time spent online.”

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With Teen Accounts automatically enabled by default for new and existing users aged 13 to 17, teens will have private accounts, be placed in strict messaging settings, and get notifications telling them to leave the app after 60 minutes of use.

Asked how this internationally available feature is being localized to the needs of the Filipino community, Endlund told the Inquirer in an interview that – “What we have done is to make sure any Tagalog terms, any local terminology, any local language… that can be potentially harmful are blocked from search, from comments.”

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She likewise said that the Department of Education, CWC, NYC and the Stairway Foundation also notify them for any culture-specific trends, terminologies and accounts that must be restricted to keep the space safe for teenagers.

For advocates, the challenge is not simply limiting young people’s access to social media, but ensuring that the online spaces they use are safer and more age-appropriate. /apl

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