Do you have a younger sibling that is underage? A child of your own or any younger relative in general? Are you fine with them seeing content that is inappropriate for their age?

The Internet is a place of great ease and infinite connectivity, but also a place of great vulnerability. A lot of content online is composed of harmful stuff and other inappropriate information including pornography, violence, self-harm, suicide, and etc. With that being said, the internet can be accessed by anyone, from a toddler all the way up to an elderly person.

Given the technological advancements we now have, it also provides us the freedom to share whatever content we like, may it be morally right or wrong—some for the purpose of entertainment and the like, the problem lies in the fact that minors have access to content that is not suitable for them without much verification of what they should see. It is a matter of time that we stop this mindset and start acknowledging the responsibility and influence we hold towards children.

Minors may be exposed to inappropriate content on social media. There are certain posts that include socially exploitative content for children. There are also contents that demonstrate harmful behaviors and urge youths to participate in them, which can lead to dangerous pranks and dares that can result in injury and accidents. According to the Youth Internet Safety Survey, 70% of children ages 8 to 18 have come across internet pornography by accident, most commonly by typing in an innocent search term while completing their schoolwork. 90% of children ages 8 to 16 have seen online pornography and that 31% of kids ages 12-18 have lied about their age in order to access a website. It is also alarming that 65% of 8-14-year-olds have been involved in a cyber-bullying incident, the results also showed that the largest group of Internet porn consumers is children ages 12-17.

Although guardians and parents hold the highest responsibility to make sure their children are safe online, it is time to hold content creators accountable. It is the creator’s responsibility to understand his or her limitations; failure to do so might put minors at risk. 

Through this campaign founded by GYP (Giving Youth Protection), seeks to achieve the following:

• To promote awareness among content creators, parents, and minors
• To create a child-safe community online; implement Child Safety Policy
• To strengthen the age restrictions of social media platforms especially those that do not allow filtered content; must be 15 years old and above 
• To practice the use of trigger warnings or tags when posting content or set to private and include only to member lists who are surely of age
• To utilize the use of third-party sites and apps with access to a child’s account, if necessary

GYP would also like to express the following:

• This campaign seeks to hold content creators accountable and responsible for their platforms and not, in any way, to "cancel" anybody, but to educate as well. Please refrain from hating them by any means.
• The campaign aims, in terms of required improvements, are a more safe platform and creator-focused, which does not guarantee a 100% effective approach to preventing children from seeing such unsuitable content.
• This campaign also emphasizes that it does not want to limit creators to express themselves in their own ways, shape them to be perfect role models and that they have to meet certain standards in order to be welcomed in the community. There are widely available and famous sites that are restricted to adults and as much as possible, let us put limitations and draw the line there.

By signing this petition, you are helping to create a change that will make the world we live in a better place. We call on everyone to protect minors from inappropriate online content, where children will be able to enjoy their childhood to the fullest. Take a stand: #SafekeepMinors

Visit our website and page for more information!

MEMBERS:
Barayuga, Gaiven Gev Zavey T.
Cruz, Gabriel Rey C.
Cueto, Gabriell V.
De Leon, Yari Margarette B.
Guinto, Princez Nina G.
Noveza, Cid Michael R.