ONLINE SAFETY | BetterGov launches Child Safety Portal for Filipino families
The free portal provides information in English and Tagalog, including a Risk Radar designed to help parents identify changes in a child’s behavior that may warrant attention.
BetterGov.PH has launched a Child Safety Portal that brings together resources for Filipino parents, teachers and communities dealing with online risks involving children.
The free portal provides information in English and Tagalog, including a Risk Radar designed to help parents identify changes in a child’s behavior that may warrant attention.
It also offers guidance on how to talk to children about online risks, including what parents can do before taking away a child’s phone.
Resources are being developed for teachers, parishes, police and other community groups, while workshops are planned for schools and barangays.
When an incident requires assistance, the portal directs users to Bantay Bata 163 and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group. It lists (02) 8414-1560 as a contact number.
BetterGov said the portal is a new campaign that is still being developed and does not replace professional help. It is inviting parents, teachers, schools and civil society organizations to use the portal, provide feedback and suggest additional resources.
The launch comes amid growing concerns over children’s exposure to harmful online content and recent government action involving digital platforms.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center recently ordered Reddit and Discord to designate resident agents or local representatives in the Philippines and provide information about their safety standards, rapid-response mechanisms and age-verification measures.
Discord was subsequently temporarily blocked in the Philippines following government concerns over alleged grooming of minors and activities associated with nihilistic violent extremism. The block was later lifted after discussions between the government and Discord officials.
Reddit was not subjected to the same temporary block but committed to establishing a Philippine office and a team to coordinate with Philippine authorities.
The developments followed a series of concerns over online communities and violent content, including the Sept. 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, where two students were killed and eight others were injured. The 16-year-old student identified as the shooter later died by suicide.
Authorities were also investigating reports that the student had participated in an online true-crime community. The reported online activity has not been established as a cause of the shooting.
The incidents have added urgency to discussions about how children encounter harmful content online and the respective roles of platforms, parents, schools and government agencies in protecting young users.
BetterGov’s portal takes a preventive approach, focusing on helping adults recognize potential warning signs, communicate with children about online risks and identify where to seek assistance.
The organization is also looking for launch partners to help bring the Child Safety Portal to more families, schools and communities.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is also performed by human editors, with artificial intelligence (AI) used only to assist with additional grammar and style guide corrections..
————————————————————————-
TEN YEARS OF TECHSABADO!
PLEASE LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to OUR YOUTUBE & SPOTIFY channels.
WATCH TECHSABADO ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
WE ARE ALSO ON SPOTIFY
WATCH OUR OTHER YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
PLEASE LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
WE ARE ALSO ON SPOTIFY
WATCH OUR OTHER YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
PLEASE LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
