Lawmakers will take a closer look at how children are exposed to violent content and recruitment online when a Senate panel resumes hearings on July 1, a move prompted by the deadly shooting at a Tacloban City school.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, announced the renewed inquiry on Tuesday. The panel intends to question whether gaming environments and digital platforms have taken adequate steps to stop violent material from circulating and to shield minors from grooming.
“Sa July 1, muli nating bubuksan ang pagdinig para alamin kung may papel ang mga online platforms sa pagkalat ng mararahas na ideya. Nagiging pugad ng mga grupong nambe-brainwash at nagra-radicalize sa mga bata (On July 1, we will reopen the hearing to determine whether online platforms play a role in spreading violent ideas. They are becoming breeding grounds for groups that brainwash and radicalize children),” Hontiveros said.
The committee first opened this line of investigation on April 14, when members raised allegations that minors were being manipulated and pushed toward violence through gaming spaces and other online channels. That earlier session also covered the sexual abuse, exploitation and extortion of children carried out over the internet.
Hontiveros pressed the point that accountability cannot be optional when minors are harmed online.
“Kung ginagamit ang internet para biktimahin ang mga bata, dapat may managot. Hindi pwedeng kita lang lagi ang iniisip ng Big Tech habang ang ating mga pamilya at paaralan ay nababalot ng trahedya (If the internet is being used to victimize children, someone must be held accountable. Big Tech cannot always think only of profit while our families and schools are gripped by tragedy),” she said.
According to the senator, the central question before the committee is whether current protections are strong enough to keep children safe in digital spaces. She argued that government must intervene without waiting for another loss of life.
