Bicolanos hope DepEd Digital Safety Drive reaches region

By Jordan Domingo

LEGAZPI CITY --- The Department of Education (DepEd) is preparing to roll out a School Digital Safety Campaign in Bicol and other parts of the country as it moves to address safety risks faced by students not only inside school campuses but also in the digital spaces where they study, communicate and socialize.

The initiative comes amid heightened concern over school safety following recent campus violence, including the case involving Banga National High School, where authorities have been investigating reported online activity connected to the incident.

DepEd said the campaign will add a digital-safety component to existing measures aimed at protecting learners, which include closed-circuit television cameras, metal detectors, perimeter fencing, security guards, school counsellor associates, learner formation officers and child protection committees.

Schools are also being required to strengthen preparedness through regular safety and emergency response drills.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the campaign recognizes that children’s lives now extend beyond the physical classroom.

“Keeping our children safe today means understanding that their world extends beyond the classroom and into their phones, games, group chats, and social media,” Angara said.

He said learners, parents and teachers need the knowledge and tools to navigate these digital spaces safely.

For Bicol schools, the campaign is expected to provide additional guidance on risks that learners may encounter online, including cyberbullying and harassment, grooming and online child exploitation, scams, privacy violations, irresponsible social media use, unsafe gaming practices and exposure to violent or harmful content.

It will also cover healthy screen time and digital well-being, as well as warning signs that may require reporting, referral or intervention.

The campaign complements DepEd’s revised K-to-10 curriculum, which integrates digital citizenship, netiquette, online safety and responsible technology use into subjects such as Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan/Technology and Livelihood Education, Values Education, and Physical Education and Health for Grades 4 to 10.

DepEd said the new campaign will translate these classroom lessons into practical measures that parents and teachers can apply in dealing with children’s everyday digital activities.

Parents will be guided on how to talk with children about their online experiences, recognize warning signs, establish appropriate boundaries and know when to seek assistance.

“Parents do not have to know every app or platform their children use. But they need to keep the lines of communication open,” Angara said.

Teachers and school personnel will likewise be trained to identify warning signs and follow appropriate reporting and referral procedures when concerns involving learners arise.

DepEd will coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Philippine National Police, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, National Bureau of Investigation, local government leagues and relevant medical societies in developing campaign materials, referral protocols and training programs.

The department will first convene its partner agencies and organizations to develop the campaign framework and materials before its wider implementation.

Angara called on schools, families, local governments, government agencies and communities to share responsibility for protecting children from risks in the digital environment.

“We cannot leave our children to navigate the digital world on their own,” he said. “Keeping them safe is a shared responsibility of the school, the home, government, and the community,” he said.