PH gov’t, Meta strengthen cooperation against online threats to Filipino youth

• Photo courtesy of DICT

The Philippine government and Meta have agreed to strengthen cooperation in protecting Filipino children and young people from online exploitation, disinformation, harmful content, and threats of violence.

The agreement follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to enhance online safeguards for young Filipinos and ensure decisive government action against emerging digital threats.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda met with Meta representatives Sarim Aziz, director for public policy in Southeast Asia, and Gio Tingson, head of public policy in the Philippines.

Officials from the executive and legislative branches also attended the meeting, including National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag, National Telecommunications Commission Chairperson Ella Blanca Lopez, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Executive Director Aboy Paraiso, and House Committee on Women and Gender Equality Chairperson Rep. Ann Matibag. Representatives from the Senate and the Office of the Executive Secretary also participated.

Technical working group planned

Among the commitments reached during the meeting was the creation of a technical working group tasked with improving coordination, response times, and service-level action involving harmful online content.

Meta said it would maintain an open channel of communication with relevant Philippine authorities and designate an appropriate point of contact to facilitate engagement.

The company also reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

Meta committed to continuing its cooperation with law enforcement agencies in investigations involving imminent harm to children or risks of death or serious physical injury.

The company said it would respond to lawful requests for account records in accordance with its terms of service and applicable laws, including mutual legal assistance procedures and other legal safeguards.

Meta also expressed its willingness to provide technical assistance in efforts against child sexual exploitation and abuse material, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

Digital literacy initiatives

The government and Meta will also pursue initiatives aimed at strengthening digital literacy and helping Filipinos become more resilient against disinformation and harmful content.

Meta representatives are expected to visit Manila to formalize the cooperation framework and the commitments reached during the meeting.

“These are serious issues, and there is no reason to celebrate. What matters is that we now have concrete commitments and a framework for action,” Aguda said.

The DICT secretary emphasized that safeguards introduced by the government and online platforms cannot replace parental vigilance.

Meta’s Teen Accounts apply protective settings by default for younger users. These include private accounts, restrictions on who can contact them, and built-in reminders limiting their time on the platform.

The company’s Family Center also allows parents to set time limits and supervise certain content and messaging settings.

Parents were encouraged to review their children’s online accounts and contacts, activate privacy settings and parental controls, discuss online dangers openly, watch for significant behavioral changes, and immediately report credible threats of violence or exploitation to the authorities.

“The commitments made today are a starting point. The responsibility now is to turn them into action and to ensure that online threats are addressed before they become real-world harm,” Aguda said.