Globe steps up drive vs online bullying among Filipino kids

By Jennifer P. Rendon

With an estimated 92 million users as of January 2022, the Philippines is often regarded as the social media capital of the world.

Along with this almost half of Filipino children aged 13 to 17 years old are affected by cyber violence.

A poll conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) a few years ago showed one-third of cyberviolence experienced by Filipino children is in the form of verbal abuse over the internet or cell phone, while a fourth is through sexual messages.

Another study conducted by Cornell University and University of California, Berkeley found that parents underestimate how often their child is a victim or perpetrator of cyberbullying, exposed to sexual imagery and approached by strangers online.

Taking these into consideration, digital solutions platform Globe has intensified its commitment to online safety, enjoining the academe, mental health professionals, parents and guardians, and other key partners to protect Filipino children against cyberbullying.

Due to the pervasiveness of bullying on digital platforms, Globe noted the need for parents and caregivers to understand their role in keeping children safe online.

“As Globe empowers our 92 million customers to use technology for every need, we urge everyone to use digital communication channels for good and teach our young people to do the same. Our connectedness comes with it being a responsible digital citizen, and that communicating with respect, intention, and impact is first taught at home,” Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer, said.

The company launched the www.makeitsafe.ph portal to stop cyberbullying by making available the A-Z of Cyberbullying glossary. The glossary is buildable, and anyone can add words to inform other parents on terms to watch out for. The microsite has received 12,000 hits since it was launched last July 18.

Parents can get more guidance on helping children be safe and responsible online through parent-focused Globe Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) e-modules on the microsite. DTP promotes digital citizenship and cyber safety among the youth.

“We leverage technology with the help of our key partners to protect the youth.  We are equipping our customers— parents, caregivers, and guardians— to address cyberbullying by helping them understand the rapidly developing online language used by children through digital channels,” RG Orense, Head of Digital and Social Channel Strategy at Globe, said.

Globe further equipped parents with the proper knowledge to address the issue through its partnership with two of the most influential online parenting communities on Facebook —- Glam-O-Mommas, a community with 44,500 active members owned by model and TV personality Amanda Griffin-Jacob; and Usapang Nanay, a community of 519,000 members, run by the husband-and-wife duo of Mommy GL and Daddy Ranilo Guardiano.

It has also started sharing its new #makeITsafePH campaign materials on cyberbullying to partners in the academe, showing them to teachers and parents during parent seminars. The materials have collectively been viewed 113 million times on social media, particularly TikTok and Facebook, over the past one and a half months.

This is among its initiatives to protect minors from cyber violence, which includes bullying and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, and UN SDG No. 17, which highlights the value of partnerships in achieving sustainable development goals.

The advocacy is strongly supported by well-known celebrities, movie personalities, and athletes including Kim Atienza, Gretchen Fullido, Edu Manzano, Pia Guanio-Mago, Ryan Eigenmann, Arlene Muhlach, Cai Cortez, Kiray Celis, Gillian Vicencio, Sophie Reyes, Alora Sasam, JC Alcantara, Melizza Jimenez, Gian Magdangal, Aby Marano, Junemar Fajardo, and Japeth Aguilar. Social media influencers Dr. Kilimanguru, Mela Habijan, and Reb Atadero have also joined the fight against online bullying.

Globe also understands that violence against children, such as cyberbullying, has devastating effects on the physical and emotional well-being of young people.

The most common of which are low self esteem, academic issues, and thoughts of self-harm.

Because of this, Globe has partnered with its telemedicine platform KonsultaMD to provide mental wellness support to parents, guardians, and victims of cyberbullying. Users can redeem one free session with a licensed KonsultaMD mental health professional 24/7 using the promo code MAKEITSAFEPH.

In its report, KonsultaMD said that 48 percent of patients that consult for mental health are due to anxiety while 21 percent are suffering depression and 18 percent are because of stress.

The Digital 2022 report from We Are Social and Hootsuite ranks the Philippines as the second most active country on social media.

But it was also just behind Thailand in the ranking of countries worldwide where children are highly exposed to online risks and without sufficient skills to cope with cyber threats.