The Child Rights Network (CRN), the Philippines’ broadest coalition of child-focused organizations, has opposed a proposed blanket ban on social media use by children under 16, arguing that the answer to online harm is safer digital spaces, not simply excluding children from them.
“Banning children from social media does not protect them from unsafe environments. Making the environments safer is what protects them,” CRN said in a statement issued Tuesday.
The coalition acknowledged that legislators pushing for the restriction intend to protect children. But it warned that a blanket ban could shift responsibility for online risks onto children and families while leaving the platforms and systems that enable those harms largely untouched.
CRN said the digital world has become an extension of everyday life, where children learn, communicate, and express themselves. They therefore have rights online, including the rights to development, protection, and participation.
“Children, just like adults, have digital rights, and the government must put the best interests of the child at the heart of every decision affecting those rights,” it said.
The group cited General Comment No. 25, adopted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2021, which outlines how the Convention on the Rights of the Child applies in the digital environment.
Instead of a blanket prohibition, CRN called for a broader response that teaches children to recognize online risks, seek help, and report abuse. Parents, it said, should create safe spaces for conversations, while schools should strengthen digital citizenship and online safety education.
A representative of Batang Juan Network, a CRN member, said social media is already woven into how many young people learn and communicate.
“I don’t think banning social media for everyone under 16 is the best solution because it is already part of how many students learn and express themselves,” the child representative said.
CRN also questioned whether bans can work in practice, citing Australia’s experience, where an independent study found that nearly 86 percent of surveyed under-16s still used at least one restricted platform.
“A blanket social media ban mistakes restriction for resolution,” CRN said.
Its final question to lawmakers was pointed: “Where are the voices of our children?”
