Manila, July 16 -- As the House of Representatives Committee on the Welfare of Children convenes a Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on Thursday to tackle proposals on child online safety and the regulation of social media use among minors, Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III pushed to make digital literacy a mandatory part of basic education, saying education must go hand in hand with regulation in protecting Filipino children online.

The TWG, chaired by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, will continue deliberations on comments and proposed revisions to various measures on child online safety and protection in the digital environment, with lawmakers seeking to reconcile differing approaches to regulating minors' access to social media.

The...