Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Friday called on technology and social media companies to enforce stricter age-verification controls and remove online content that glorifies violence and targets young learners for radicalization.
Speaking at a multisectoral forum on preventing nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) held at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), Angara stressed that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed all government agencies to pursue lasting solutions to the complex issue of school violence.
Upon the President’s orders, the Department of Education (DepEd) has formed a task force with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) child protection units to monitor emerging risks.
“We agree that we need stronger safeguards against these terrorist recruitment groups, online groomers. We need to protect our children online, and we really need stricter firewalls, not systems where a child who isn’t even in high school can just click that they are 18 years old. That cannot be allowed,” Angara said.
Thanking the government agencies and international and local partners for their solidarity in addressing school safety and digital threats, Angara shared that some social media companies have reached out to DepEd for discussions about strengthening safeguards in online spaces.
To counter both online and physical threats, DepEd has improved school security, strengthened learner support, and bolstered emergency response systems.
Aside from increasing the number of schools with security personnel, metal detectors, perimeter fences, and CCTV systems, DepEd has partnered with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to deploy barangay tanods to support campus security and police visibility.
Angara emphasized, however, that physical barriers cannot stop every threat.
“We must remember that while we actively stand guard and protect our children in the physical world, we also need to do the same online. We need to build stronger communities and better relationships with our learners,” Angara stressed.
To support these efforts, DepEd has expanded the Kaagapay Program to guide parents in safeguarding children online alongside promoting mental health awareness and identifying red flags on bullying. DepEd is also strengthening peer support through the My Buddy System and bolstering school clubs, organizations, scouting and sports to give learners positive spaces to participate.
The forum also brought together officials from key agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Police (PNP), Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), DILG, DICT, and CICC to unify government action against school-based violence.
