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New Safety Protocols Amid Philippine Legislative Push
Meta and gaming platform Roblox have agreed to strengthen child safety protections for users in the Philippines, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda announced on Thursday . The commitments were made during meetings between Philippine officials and company executives in Singapore .
The measures include age verification, parental controls, faster takedowns of harmful content, and closer cooperation with law enforcement . Roblox is aiming to establish a Philippine office as early as October, while Meta will send a team to Manila to discuss expanding its presence in the country .
US Settlement Boosts Talks
The agreement came a day after Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and impose new safeguards for teenage users in the United States, to settle claims by states that its platforms harmed children . Aguda noted that the US settlement would “boost” discussions with Meta on child safety and platform accountability .
Philippines Considers Further Measures
The talks come as Philippine lawmakers consider tightening protections for minors online, including proposals that would restrict or ban children’s access to social media . The Philippine House of Representatives is drafting a measure that would impose a total ban on social media and online gaming platforms for children aged 13 and below, while regulating use by those aged 14 to 17 .
Calls for stronger regulation intensified after a fatal shooting at a university in the southern Philippines, with officials saying a student livestreamed the attack . Aguda said Meta and Roblox agreed to engage with legislators as Congress considers online safety measures and have indicated they would cooperate with whatever policy Philippine lawmakers ultimately adopt .
