The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) has recommended that children aged 16 and below should not be allowed unsupervised access to social media, citing growing evidence of its harmful effects on young users.

The Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP) expressed full support for the PPS position statement, emphasizing that specialists in child neurodevelopment and behavior are seeing the consequences firsthand in clinical settings.

The statement comes amid a series of recent violence-related incidents in the country involving minors. These include a shooting incident in Tacloban allegedly initiated by two minors aged 14 and 15, as well as a separate stabbing case in another province where a Grade 9 student reportedly stabbed a Grade 10 student.

In a statement, the PSDBP said its members regularly encounter young patients experiencing anxiety, emotional dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and worsening behavioral and developmental symptoms linked to unregulated social media use.

“These are not theoretical risks but clinical realities documented in our consultation rooms daily,” the group said.

The PPS recommendation aligns with neurodevelopmental evidence, according to the PSDBP, and reflects what clinicians observe in practice, particularly among children and adolescents with pre-existing developmental, behavioral, and mental health conditions who are considered most vulnerable.

The PSDBP underscored that safeguarding children in digital spaces requires a collective effort involving families, schools, healthcare professionals, technology platforms, and policymakers.

Both groups called for stronger, evidence-based measures to protect Filipino children online, highlighting the need for coordinated action to address risks associated with early and unsupervised exposure to social media.