“You are weak.” 

This was what Senator Robinhood Padilla had to say to today’s youth during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.

The hearing was to discuss the proposed Children’s Safety in Social Media Act, including the possibility of regulating or banning social media use for minors.

Padilla, who chairs the committee, said that kids nowadays could not hold a candle to the youth of the 80s and the 90s.

“Ang mga bata po ngayon, sad to say, ‘wag kayo magagalit sa akin. Naku, maraming batang magagalit siguro pero pasensya na kayo—you are weak. Hindi kayo katulad noong panahon namin na hindi kami iyakin. Natuto kami… natuto kami sa kalsada, natuto kami na ‘wag umupo at umiyak,” Padilla said.

He furthered and said that during his time, the term ‘depression’ was not commonly used.

Padilla then said that social media is an addicting platform that the senators deem necessary to implement stricter regulations, especially for the youth.

In a social media post, Padilla defended his earlier remarks saying that it was merely an observation backed by studies that found social media as the cause of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. 

“Ito ay obserbasyon na sinusuportahan ng mga pag-aaral na nag-uugnay sa labis na paggamit ng social media sa anxiety, depresyon, kawalan ng tulog, at mababang self-esteem. Kung ang mga platform ay dinisenyo upang maging nakakaadik, hindi natin maaaring iasa sa mga bata ang buong responsibilidad ng pagpipigil sa sarili. Ang proteksyon sa kabataan online ay hindi lamang usapin ng disiplina sa bahay. Ito ay usaping pampublikong kalusugan at pananagutan ng lipunan,” his post read.

Also present during the hearing is Meta’s head of Public Policy for Indonesia and Philippines, Berni Moestafa. Meta is the parent company of Facebook.

There, he said that while they understand the concerns of senators, they also believe that banning social media use for minors is unnecessary at the moment.

“We want to make sure that they are protected. So balancing the rights for digital participation and safety becomes a priority for us to make sure that  children, especially children and above 13 have the rights to participate and be a voice on platforms…” Moestafa said.

He also assured the committee that they are implementing measures to ensure the protection and safety of children on their social media platforms.

Currently, there are several proposed measures at the Senate that aim to protect the welfare of children on social media. These are Senate Bill Nos. 40, 185, 595, 601, and 1735.

Australia is the first country in the world that implemented a nationwide ban on social media use of children under the age of 16. Other countries such as France and Slovenia are in the process of legislating a similar ban. While Denmark, Finland, Greece, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are considering implementing social media ban for minors.