BAM SEEKS STRICTER AGE REGULATION ENFORCEMENT ON VIDEO GAMES, BANNING OF CHAT GROUPS FOR MINORS  

FOLLOWING the Zamboanga City school shooting that left two students dead and amid renewed calls to ban video games for minors, Senator Bam Aquino reiterated the need for a Comprehensive School Safety Act and cited studies that video games are not to blame for violent behavior.

Instead of imposing an outright ban on first-person online games, Aquino is pushing for a stricter enforcement of age restrictions on video games, similar to the classification system used for movies and television shows.

“There’s an age restriction on movies and television shows. We need to look at stronger age restrictions pagdating sa violent games,” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Aquino also said penalties should be considered for game developers and parents who allow children to access mature-rated games despite existing age restrictions.

“Kung may mga bata na may access tapos iyong game is rated mature, mali iyon. Dapat may penalties iyon. Either doon sa developer, doon sa bata mismo, o maging sa parents,” he said.

Citing various studies, Aquino likewise insisted that video games should not be blamed for school violence, pointing instead to chat groups as a possible avenue for harmful content and influence.

“It’s the chat groups. It’s the lack of controls pagdating sa infiltration ng chat groups,” he said, adding that a social media ban on minors should also cover chat groups or pages where minors may be exposed to violent, extremist, or otherwise harmful content.

“If we want to be successful dito sa ating gustong gawin, kailangan umabot doon iyong mga reporma,” said Aquino, who filed Senate Bill No. 2299, or the proposed Digital Safety for Minors Act, prohibiting minors under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms.

The measure seeks to address the growing global concern over the impact of excessive social media use on children’s mental health and well-being while helping protect young people from harmful online content that may contribute to violence in schools.

Aquino is also pushing for the passage of his Senate Bill No. 2390, or the Comprehensive School Safety Act, to prevent a repeat of the school shooting incidents in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City.

He said the bill would strengthen school security through measures such as additional CCTV cameras, security guards or personnel, security volunteers, metal detectors, and protocols for checking bags and weapons.

The measure will also require schools to adopt a localized National School Safety Framework covering what to do before, during, and after a violent incident.

As vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Aquino assured that adequate funding would be allotted for the implementation of the Comprehensive School Safety Act if enacted into law, particularly for the purchase of needed equipment.

“It’s a matter of political will. Kung nais natin mapondohan ito, mapopondohan natin ito,” he said