President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday said the government is studying the possible future ban on applications and games that may be “responsible for the desensitization of our children to violence,” following the deadly shooting incident at a high school in Tacloban City last month.
Marcos made the statement in an interview with the media before leaving Canada, in response to proposals to lower the age of criminal liability following the incident.
The President said that all possible actions and policy options are being carefully studied, including banning certain applications or games, to determine the government’s next steps.
He said the initial action had already led to the banning of the game reportedly played by one of the shooters in Tacloban.
“So we’re looking to, you see, here’s the problem. The problem is that I’m sure all of you have seen these games and how they’re played, it desensitizes killing and violence,” Marcos said.
He said some games allow players to kill multiple characters, making violence appear less serious because the characters simply return to life.
“Kahit mabaril iyan sa game, kahit bumaril ng 50 katao, mabubuhay naman eh, it desensitizes the kid that it’s not really that big a deal to shoot somebody. And that’s really for me the problem (Even if they got shot in the game, or they shot 50 characters, they just come back to life. It desensitizes the kid that It’s not really that big a deal to shoot somebody. And that’s really, for me, the problem),” he added.
Two teenagers, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, were involved in the shooting at a Tacloban high school on June 22 that left three people dead and 20 others injured.
The 14-year-old, who reportedly shot many of the victims, was an avid player of the banned online game.
On the proposal to lower the age of criminal liability, Marcos said the matter requires thorough study by experts, adding that he himself is unsure whether such a move would work or be effective.
He said the government must consider the views of experts who study child psychology, the impact of social media on children, and how children behave when they are not playing online games or using other applications.
Marcos said lowering the age of criminal liability would imply that the way children think and behave today has changed significantly from past generations.
The President said he recognizes that the world has changed, especially with the presence of social media and the kind of exposure children now have.
“Nung lumalaki ako, wala naman ganyan. So maybe that has an effect. We’re not sure. But we’re studying it very well because the effect is desensitization (When I was growing up, there was nothing like that. So maybe that has an effect. We’re not sure. But we’re studying it very well because the effect is desensitization),” he said.
Marcos also raised concern over what he described as the “sexualization of young people,” which he said has a similar effect because of the wide availability of pornography.
“So when it comes to sex and violence, there really is an effect. Social media really has had an effect. But what that effect truly is, is something that’s not as easy to answer as perhaps some of the other issues,” Marcos added.