Palace seeks balanced approach to social media franchise plan

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday called for a balanced approach to a proposal to require social media platforms to obtain a congressional franchise to operate in the Philippines.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the proposal needed careful study because young people, businesses and other sectors use social media.

“We must study it. There must be balance because we cannot deprive other Filipinos of their rights because of what is happening to our youth,” Castro said at a press conference in Ilocos Norte.

Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was open to measures that would limit young people’s exposure to harmful online content, but wanted a solution that would work for users and social media platforms. She said he would study the proposal before making a decision.

Castro also called for a nationwide effort to address school attacks, which she linked to the online spread of what she described as “nihilistic violent extremism.” She said social media users, particularly young Filipinos, should be protected from people promoting violent extremism and disinformation online.

She urged social media platforms to help governments address the misuse of their services.

“You need to commit to helping governments, not just the Philippines but every country, solve these kinds of problems,” Castro said. “It should not be just about profit. You also need to care about people.” /dm