Angara calls for stricter digital protection for students

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Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara urged technology and social media firms to implement tougher age-verification controls and delete online content that highlights violence and targets young learners into radicalization.

"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 at a multisectoral forum on preventing nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) held at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P).

Angara said the call came amid President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to all government agencies to seek lasting solutions to the complex issue of school violence.

Following Marcos’ orders, the Department of Education (DepEd) has created a task force with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) child protection units to track emerging risks.

The education secretary lauded the government agencies and international and local partners for their solidarity in dealing with school safety and digital threats, adding that a number of social media companies have reached out to DepEd for discussions about enhancing safeguards in online spaces.

To combat both online and physical threats, Angara said the agency has enhanced school, learner support, and emergency response systems.

Angara said the DepEd has also partnered with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to deploy barangay officials to support campus security and police visibility.

"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," he said.

In line with the efforts, DepEd has expanded the Kaagapay Program to guide parents in protecting children online alongside promoting mental health awareness and identifying red flags on bullying.

Further, the agency underscored peer support through the My Buddy System and empowered school clubs, organizations, scouting and sports to provide learners positive spaces to participate. --VAL, GMA News