Gatchalian says responsible social media use should be taught in schools
By CJ Juntereal
Published Nov 10, 2019 05:32 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to teach responsible social media use in schools to help address the growing number of young people committing suicide.
(AFP / File / CHANDAN KHANNA / MANILA BULLETIN)
Gatchalian made the call as he stressed the need for responsible social media education to be a key component in mental health programs for schools.
The senator noted that increased smartphone and social media use has been linked to depression and anxiety among children and adolescents.
Citing experts' advise, Gatchalian said the use of mobile phones, especially among adolescents, has become risky and exposes children to the downside of technology.
Citing the expanation of Dr. Cornelio Banaag, Jr. of the Medical City, the senator said that the blue light of smartphones inhibits melatonin production and keeps a person awake at night.
And when young people are sleep-deprived, they become more prone to having depression and anxiety.
“Babala sa atin ng mga eksperto, ang pagbababad sa social media ang isang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit dumarami ang mga kabataang dumaranas ng anxiety at depresyon (A lot of experts have warned that more time spent on social media is one of the primary reasons why most young people are experiencing anxiety and depression)," Gatchalian said.
"Nakakabahala ito lalo na’t nababansagan tayong (This is alarming more so because we are hailed as the) social media capital of the world. Kaya naman mahalagang maituro natin ang wastong paggamit ng internet at social media (That's why it's important to teach them how to properly use the Internet and social media),” said the senator who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
The Department of Health (DOH) recently reported that around 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depressive disorders. A 2015 World Health Organizaton’s Global-based student health survey showed that nearly 17 percent of more than 8,000 high school students aged 13-17 in the Philippines have attempted suicide the previous year.
The same study also showed that almost 12 percent of the study’s participants also seriously considered committing suicide.
One case cited by DepEd officials was that of a Grade 10 student who reportedly committed suicide inside their residence in Sorsogon City in March this year.
Also this year, the DepEd’s flagship health program Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd started including mental health education.
Gatchalian said this particular venture should be leveraged to increase awareness-building and psycho-social intervention programs.
Likewise, the lawmaker also stressed the need for schools to restore the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) in their curriculum which can also be another avenue to teach students regarding responsible social media use.
“Dahil hindi nababantayan ang ilang kabataan sa paggamit nila ng Internet, nagkakaroon sila ng destructive and violent behavior (Because kids are hardly supervised when using the Internet, they are prone to destructive and violent behavior)," Gatchalian lamented.
"Kung gusto nating maging relevant ang panukalang GMRC subject, kailangan suriin natin kung paano tatalakayin ang paggamit ng internet at social media, (If we want GMRC to be a relevant subject, we need to study carefully how we will discuss the ways on how to use the Internet and social media properly),” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian also added that since there were only less than 100 registered child psychiatrists in the country, guidance counselors and teachers should join capacity-building programs on providing psychological first aid.
Thus, he said, the government should consider a holistic approach to address the problem.
“Ang kailangan natin dito ay holistic approach. Kung tuturuan natin ang mga estudyante kung paano maging responsable sa social media at kung paano alagaan ang sarili nila, kailangang siguruhin din natin na ang mga magtuturo ay may sapat at tamang kakayahan para gawin ito, (What we need here us a holistic approach. If we are going to teach studenta on how to use social media responsiy, then we need to make sure thay our teachers are fully equipped and capable of teaching it)," Gatchalian stressed
(AFP / File / CHANDAN KHANNA / MANILA BULLETIN)
Gatchalian made the call as he stressed the need for responsible social media education to be a key component in mental health programs for schools.
The senator noted that increased smartphone and social media use has been linked to depression and anxiety among children and adolescents.
Citing experts' advise, Gatchalian said the use of mobile phones, especially among adolescents, has become risky and exposes children to the downside of technology.
Citing the expanation of Dr. Cornelio Banaag, Jr. of the Medical City, the senator said that the blue light of smartphones inhibits melatonin production and keeps a person awake at night.
And when young people are sleep-deprived, they become more prone to having depression and anxiety.
“Babala sa atin ng mga eksperto, ang pagbababad sa social media ang isang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit dumarami ang mga kabataang dumaranas ng anxiety at depresyon (A lot of experts have warned that more time spent on social media is one of the primary reasons why most young people are experiencing anxiety and depression)," Gatchalian said.
"Nakakabahala ito lalo na’t nababansagan tayong (This is alarming more so because we are hailed as the) social media capital of the world. Kaya naman mahalagang maituro natin ang wastong paggamit ng internet at social media (That's why it's important to teach them how to properly use the Internet and social media),” said the senator who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
The Department of Health (DOH) recently reported that around 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depressive disorders. A 2015 World Health Organizaton’s Global-based student health survey showed that nearly 17 percent of more than 8,000 high school students aged 13-17 in the Philippines have attempted suicide the previous year.
The same study also showed that almost 12 percent of the study’s participants also seriously considered committing suicide.
One case cited by DepEd officials was that of a Grade 10 student who reportedly committed suicide inside their residence in Sorsogon City in March this year.
Also this year, the DepEd’s flagship health program Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd started including mental health education.
Gatchalian said this particular venture should be leveraged to increase awareness-building and psycho-social intervention programs.
Likewise, the lawmaker also stressed the need for schools to restore the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) in their curriculum which can also be another avenue to teach students regarding responsible social media use.
“Dahil hindi nababantayan ang ilang kabataan sa paggamit nila ng Internet, nagkakaroon sila ng destructive and violent behavior (Because kids are hardly supervised when using the Internet, they are prone to destructive and violent behavior)," Gatchalian lamented.
"Kung gusto nating maging relevant ang panukalang GMRC subject, kailangan suriin natin kung paano tatalakayin ang paggamit ng internet at social media, (If we want GMRC to be a relevant subject, we need to study carefully how we will discuss the ways on how to use the Internet and social media properly),” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian also added that since there were only less than 100 registered child psychiatrists in the country, guidance counselors and teachers should join capacity-building programs on providing psychological first aid.
Thus, he said, the government should consider a holistic approach to address the problem.
“Ang kailangan natin dito ay holistic approach. Kung tuturuan natin ang mga estudyante kung paano maging responsable sa social media at kung paano alagaan ang sarili nila, kailangang siguruhin din natin na ang mga magtuturo ay may sapat at tamang kakayahan para gawin ito, (What we need here us a holistic approach. If we are going to teach studenta on how to use social media responsiy, then we need to make sure thay our teachers are fully equipped and capable of teaching it)," Gatchalian stressed