DOJ wants parents, guardians to monitor, regulate kids’ internet use

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is urging parents and guardians to implement parental controls over their children’s internet use to protect them against online abuse. (INQUIRER STOCK IMAGE)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) urged parents and guardians to implement parental controls over their children’s internet use to protect them against online abuse.

Parents are the first line of defense amid rising incidence of online e sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC), Justice Undersecretary Felix Ty said during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing on Thursday.

Ty is in charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking,

“Parental monitoring is crucial. As they say, everything starts at home. So as parents, we should not take the dangers of the internet for granted. So we can implement parental controls as much as possible,” Ty said in a mix of Filipino and English.

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On Tuesday, the DOJ held the Safer Internet Day for Children Philippines, as mandated by Proclamation 417, signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Earlier in February, the Council for the Welfare of Children said a telecommunications company blocked at least 900,000 OSAEC websites in 2023. It also noted 2.16 million blocked attempts to access these websites.