The Philippine government and Meta have agreed to strengthen cooperation to protect Filipino children and young people from online threats, harmful content, child exploitation, and disinformation.
The agreement followed a meeting convened in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to enhance online child protection and ensure decisive government action against emerging digital threats.
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda thanked Meta representatives and officials from the Executive and Legislative branches, including NBI Director Melvin Matibag, NTC Chairperson Ella Blanca Lopez, CICC Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso, and House Committee on Women Chairperson Rep. Ann Matibag, for their cooperation.
Among the key commitments is the creation of a technical working group to improve coordination, response times, and action against harmful online content. Meta also reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse and exploitation material and its continued cooperation with law enforcement in cases involving imminent threats to children.
The government and Meta will likewise pursue initiatives to strengthen digital literacy and resilience against disinformation and harmful content.
“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,” Aguda said.
He emphasized that government and platform measures must be complemented by parental vigilance, urging parents to use available safety and supervision tools and remain attentive to their children’s online activities.
“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.
