ILOILO City – Certain parents in this city have expressed support for a proposed ban on social media access for children below 16 years old, saying stricter online restrictions and more active parental supervision are needed to shield minors from harmful online content, following the deadly school shooting in Tacloban City.
Interviewed by Panay News, parents said unrestricted access to social media, online games, and messaging platforms exposes children to inappropriate content, strangers, cyberbullying, and unhealthy influences that could affect their behavior and mental well-being.
Lawmakers are pushing legislation that would prohibit or restrict social media use by minors under 16 as part of broader efforts to protect children’s mental health and curb online radicalization after investigators linked the Tacloban school shooting to violent online content.
For Rowena Sy, a 41-year-old nurse and mother of three from Barangay Caingin, La Paz district, the proposed measure is long overdue.
“I really hope a law on this is passed. If possible, students should go back to using basic keypad phones. At their age, a cellphone should simply be a tool for communication because that is its real purpose. Once they are exposed to social media, they encounter content and people they barely know,” Sy said in Hiligaynon.
Sy said she deliberately limits her children’s online activities because many games and platforms allow unsupervised conversations with strangers.
“The first thing I make sure of is that my children are not allowed to play Roblox because players can communicate with one another there, and I cannot monitor those conversations. We can no longer control who they talk to, and that can affect them. Children who are constantly scolded sometimes look for someone else who will sympathize with them or take their side, and that’s where they begin seeking attention,” she said.
Sy, whose children are aged 12, 10 and five years old, said gadgets are generally prohibited on weekdays except when needed for communication.
“They have cellphones, but during weekdays they are not allowed to use them at home. Only my eldest regularly carries a phone because I need to contact the children whenever I fetch them,” she said.
Still, she admitted that constant supervision remains difficult.
“There are times when I cannot monitor them because I also have work. Sometimes they even hide while using their phones,” Sy said.
To minimize exposure to harmful content, Sy allows her children to use Facebook only through her personal account.
“They don’t have their own Facebook accounts. They use mine, and I carefully screen who they can accept as friends. Even the group chats appear under my name because children nowadays already exchange private messages with the opposite sex,” she said.
She also noticed changes in her children’s behavior because of excessive gadget use.
“I’ve noticed they tend to lie. When I ask if they’ve been using their phones, they say no. My 10-year-old becomes irritated because of Roblox. I’ve uninstalled it several times, but he keeps reinstalling it. Eventually I hid the phone and even placed a password on the app store because he would borrow another phone to download it again,” Sy said.
“I don’t know what Roblox has that makes children feel they cannot live without it. Whenever I take the phone away, he throws tantrums,” she added.
Another parent, who requested to be identified only as “Kalay”, a 39-year-old housewife also from La Paz, supports restricting social media use, although she believes educational needs should still be considered.
“I agree with the proposal, but there should also be reasonable limitations. My eldest is already in college, and social media is useful for school announcements and schedules. I also have a 16-year-old in Grade 9,” she said.
She said children below 16 are especially vulnerable to harmful online content.
“It would be good to ban social media for younger children. Some parents may disagree, but children aged 16 and below should really be protected because that’s where they are exposed to things they should not be seeing. On the other hand, they also use it for school requirements. Personally, I support the ban,” Kalay said.
Kalay also recounted how her 16-year-old son suffered severe bullying that eventually left him afraid to attend school.
“My son was repeatedly bullied when he was in Grade 8. I wondered why he stopped going to school and kept making excuses. Later I learned he had been bullied. I accompanied him to school and reported the incident because he had become too afraid to attend classes,” she said.
According to Kalay, teachers assured her they would closely monitor her son and coordinate with authorities if the bullies returned.
“They told me they would immediately call the police and inform the other school if those responsible came back. Until now, teachers continue to watch over my son until I arrive to fetch him,” she said.
She urged parents to pay closer attention to their children’s emotional condition.
“Parents should guide their children and ask them about their problems. Children should also listen to their parents because everything we do is for their own good. I always ask my children how they are doing, and I’m happy they openly share their problems with me. Discipline from parents is very important,” Kalay said.
Emy Demayo, 58, who is raising her five-year-old granddaughter while the child’s mother works overseas, likewise supports limiting children’s access to gadgets.
“I agree because cellphones can negatively influence children. I make sure my granddaughter sleeps early and doesn’t spend time using a cellphone. She’s disciplined, and if I think she’s using it too much, I immediately take it away,” Demayo said.
“I support banning social media because children might imitate what they see online, especially violence and disturbing incidents. I also regularly check whether someone is bullying her so I can immediately report it to her teacher,” she added.
Cristina Alenio, a 41-year-old housewife from Barangay Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo, also believes children should be protected from excessive gadget use.
“I support it because children should learn good values. If they constantly use gadgets, they might imitate bad behavior, answer back to their parents, stay up late, or become aggressive. That’s why I don’t allow them to freely use social media,” Alenio said.
However, she acknowledged that gadgets remain useful for schoolwork.
“They can use them occasionally for educational purposes or assignments. My seven-year-old, who’s in Grade 2, already learned to play Mobile Legends and Roblox from friends, but I take the phone away whenever he insists on playing too much,” she said.
She also urged parents to become more vigilant following the Tacloban school shooting.
“Parents should discipline their children, check what’s inside their school bags, and know whether their children are being bullied or bullying others,” Alenio said.
The parents said government action must be complemented by responsible parenting, stressing that protecting children from online risks requires close supervision, open communication, discipline, and emotional support at home.
Many believe restricting social media access for younger children, while allowing supervised use for educational purposes, could help create a safer environment amid growing concerns over youth violence and children’s mental health./PN
