Singapore — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other Philippine government agencies held a meeting with representatives of Meta in Singapore on Thursday to deliberate stronger measures to protect young people from harmful content and online threats.
The meeting was held in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen the protection of children and young people while using online spaces.
During the meeting, the Philippine government and Meta agreed to establish a technical working group to strengthen coordination, response mechanisms, and service-level action against harmful online content.
Meta expressed its intention to maintain open communication with the Philippines regarding the issue.
Meta also reiterated its zero-tolerance approach toward child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM), which continue to circulate widely on some online platforms.
In this regard, Meta assured the government of its continued cooperation with law enforcement agencies in investigating cases involving violence or CSAEM, providing account records when legally required, extending legal assistance, and undertaking similar measures.
Meta also expressed its readiness to support efforts to combat CSAEM in accordance with existing laws.
The Philippine government and Meta will likewise work together to expand digital literacy and strengthen the resilience of online users against disinformation and dangerous online materials.
“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,” DICT secretary Henry Aguda said.
Meanwhile, the DICT urged parents to remain vigilant and actively monitor their children’s online accounts and engagements.
DICT noted that META features like Teen Accounts and Family Center are designed to provide protective defaults for younger users and allow parents and guardians to set limits on their children’s use of social media and similar online platforms.
“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 added.