24/09/2026
𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗡𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞, 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗧, 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗
The answer to online harms cannot simply be to ban the platforms where they occur.
The Liberal Youth strongly condemns the proposed blocking of Facebook and the threatened restrictions against Reddit and Discord, including the ongoing reports of an access disruption by Globe to the Discord website. While we recognize the legitimate responsibility of government and technology companies to address online exploitation, violent content, and threats to public safety, blanket restrictions are not a sustainable solution.
Banning one platform does not make these problems disappear. People will simply move to another platform, and the same harmful content and communities can follow them there. We risk creating a cycle where every new platform becomes the next target for restriction, without ever addressing the underlying problems.
Instead, the Government should propose long-term and rights-respecting digital regulatory policies that provides stronger platform accountability, stricter enforcement of child-safety and age-assurance measures, better digital and media literacy programs, and clear channels for government and platforms to respond to genuine threats across the digital space.
We should regulate responsibly, not reactively. We should hold platforms accountable without unnecessarily restricting the millions of Filipinos who rely on them to communicate, learn, work, organize, and participate in public life. The goal should not be to make the internet smaller. It should be to make it safer, freer, and more accountable.
