MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Friday called for stronger safeguards ensuring the safety of minors on the internet as it vowed to go after and address digital risks.
DICT Sec. Henry Aguda explained that this is due to how prevalent several dangers are to minors on the internet, including cyberbullying, online scams and harmful content.
READ: Staying safe online is everyone’s responsibility
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“Alam natin na maraming panganib sa internet para sa mga bata: cyberbullying, scams, at kung anu-ano pang harmful content. Kahit wala pang batas na tulad sa Australia, kikilos na ang DICT ngayon,” Aguda said in a statement.
(We know there are many dangers on the internet for children: cyberbullying, scams, and all sorts of other harmful content. Even though there’s no law yet like in Australia, the DICT will take action now.)
“Hindi kami maghihintay bago kumilos. Protekado ang bata, respetado ang karapatan,” he stressed.
(We will not wait before taking action. The child is protected, rights are respected.)
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He then called for initiatives strengthening child online safety—so long as it is within the bounds of Philippine laws—like the installation of parental controls and SafeSearch filters on government-provided free Wi-Fi and school computers.
This, said Aguda, can also be achieved by partnering with telecommunications companies to enable one-tap activation of safety settings, and accelerating the removal of harmful online materials targeting children are among possible measures that may be implemented.
Aguda’s pronouncements came after the Australia government’s recent announcement of a world-first law that will ban minors under 16 years old from creating accounts on major online media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube starting December 10, 2025.
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Platforms that fail to enforce the age restrictions face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
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