3 Important Laws Parents Should Know Protecting Their Kids On and Offline
Unsure what to do when your child is harassed, threatened, or maligned on and offline? Here are three laws that you can read and understand to protect them
The advent of the internet has changed everyone drastically, including protection for children online and offline. Although many have used their social media platforms for their causes, some have used them for toxicity and maligning of character. Kids and teens are not exempted from it.
With the rising cases of harassment, threats, and even slander online, lawmakers have crafted laws to protect citizens. Here are three laws parents can look into and familiarize themselves to protect not only their children but also their loved ones when faced with danger.
RA 10175 or the Anti-Cybercrime Law
Republic Act 10175 better known as the Anti-Cybercrime Law listed the offenses a person can violate online. One of them is cyber libel, defined as: “the unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended, committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future.”
Why is this law important to know? Although the Philippine Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, people should still be responsible for what they say, post, or write. Social media in the past years has been no exception. Many netizens have posted malicious and nasty statements about people they may know or not know including politicians and celebrities.
Recently, fans of G22 member Jaz were alarmed over online statements threatening harm towards her. Her management released a statement saying statements against her are punishable under the law.
Fans of BINI and its management also raised alarm over reports of deep fake videos of the girls. Deep Fake videos are using the face of a person and inserting it into someone else’s body.
Safe Space Act
The Safe Space Act protects people in both physical and online presence from sexual harassment and promotes safety and respect for individuals. This law is also known as the Bawal Bastos Act.
Why everyone should know this law? Discrimination, sexism, and misogyny remain rampant, on and offline. This act reminds everyone that one is entitled to a safe and comfortable space to move and express their thoughts. Although cases have been women complaining, there are cases of men also who complain they feel uncomfortable with certain acts.
In August, actor Niño Muhlach and his family were in the headlines when his son Sandro became a victim of sexual harassment by two independent contractors from a TV network. The case became the subject of a Senate hearing and criminal complaints against the two independent contractors have been filed.
Data Privacy Act
The Data Privacy Act discusses protecting personal information and other people’s information including personal messages. Leaking of personal information violates this law and can be penalized through imprisonment and a big amount of money.
Why is it important to know? Data or information about someone is used by many for different purposes. On social media, the information given is used by companies to drive algorithms that the person would want to see in their respective feeds.
But there are cases when emotions get in the way. Some resort to posting private conversations without consent and this becomes a violation. An example would be between warring fandoms of certain groups to spite each other.
It’s important to know that while this law exists, people still commit wrong acts under it.
When in doubt, consult legal people
These laws are just some of the many existing that parents and their children can go through to protect themselves. When unsure of what to do, you can always consult legal experts to help you in clarifying actions you need to do.
No parent wants to see any of their loved ones harmed. Whether physical or online, it’s important to be aware of one’s rights, and that include the right to be protected and feel safe.
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