The Philippine government and Meta will form a joint team to respond faster to harmful content, online threats, and the sexual abuse and exploitation of children on Meta’s platforms, according to a media releasefrom the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The agreement comes amid growing concern about the dangers Filipino children and teenagers face online. These include false information, abusive content, and threats of violence.
The team, which will formally call a technical working group, will improve communication between Meta and government agencies. It will also set deadlines for responding to reports of harmful content. Meta will appoint a representative whom Philippine authorities can contact directly.
Meta said it would continue helping law enforcement investigate cases in which a child is in immediate danger or someone faces death or serious injury. The company may also provide account information when authorities submit a legal request.
Meta also offered technical help to Philippine authorities handling these cases, as long as requests follow the law.
The government and Meta also plan to teach more Filipinos how to spot false information and protect themselves from harmful online content. Meta representatives are expected to visit Manila to finalize the agreement, but no date was announced.
Officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Bureau of Investigation, National Telecommunications Commission, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, House of Representatives, Senate, and Office of the Executive Secretary attended 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,” DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said.
Aguda said safety features on social media cannot replace parents’ involvement. Meta’s Teen Accounts automatically give younger users more privacy and limit who can contact them. Its Family Center also lets parents set time limits and manage some content and messaging settings.
Parents were urged to check who their children talk to online, turn on privacy and parental controls, discuss online dangers, watch for major changes in behavior, and report serious threats or abuse.
“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.
Meta representatives will visit Manila to formalize the cooperation framework with the Philippine government, for the commitments agreed upon.
Image by Bastian Riccardi, Pexels
