The recent shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University has again shaken us, especially parents and grandparents with children and grandchildren still in school. The school has always been regarded as a safe place for our children. But the horrifying reality of a student bringing a firearm onto campus, killing another student and then taking his own life, forces us to confront a painful question: Has the school campus become an “unsafe space” for our children?

What must the school community—and society as a whole—do to reduce the risk of a gun-toting child walking onto the same campus as our children or grandchildren?

It is easy to blame the internet, online games and social media for the information, entertainment and values to which a child may be exposed. A cyber community where games reward violence or the destruction of life and property is certainly not the ideal environment any parent would want a child to inhabit. Neither do we want our children exposed to harmful content and false information that may influence them to hurt themselves or other people.

But we should be careful not to settle for an easy explanation. A tragedy such as this cannot be attributed to a single game, platform or influence. We must also ask how a child obtained a firearm, whether it had been properly secured, what emotional burdens he may have been carrying, and whether there were signs of distress that the adults around him failed to recognize.

Restricting children’s access to social media may have benefits, but that is not what I am here to discuss. Australia began requiring social-media platforms in December 2025 to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts.

Government can regulate social-media platforms, strengthen gun-control measures and hold negligent firearm owners accountable. Schools can improve security, provide counseling services and train teachers to recognize signs of emotional distress. But what can parents and grandparents do to prevent a child from slipping into a “shooting-game mode” and taking precious lives?

Perhaps part of the answer lies in teaching our children the value of a life.

That lesson can begin only through example. Showing kindness is one way. Being considerate toward the people around us—family members, household employees, drivers, security guards and restaurant staff—is a trait not everyone practices. Be mindful of how you speak to people and how you treat those who serve you. Your child is observing.

Showing concern for a sick family member or neighbor is another way to teach kindness. There are many ways to do this: preparing a special dish for someone who has lost his appetite because of illness, taking time away from work to comfort a sick neighbor, or giving financial assistance to a relative who needs treatment.

My mother’s way of teaching her children to care for someone was to assign a younger sibling to each of us. That responsibility included tutoring the child, taking him or her to special lessons, and speaking with teachers about the child’s progress in class. For me, it nurtured a sense of thoughtfulness and concern for others. Someone younger depended on me, and I learned that what I did—or failed to do—could affect another person’s life.

Perhaps children today need similar responsibilities: caring for a younger sibling, visiting an elderly relative, helping a struggling classmate or looking after a pet. They need experiences that take them outside themselves and teach them that another person’s pain matters.

But caring also means paying attention. We must notice when a child suddenly withdraws, becomes unusually angry, talks about death or revenge, or appears consumed by what he sees online. We must ask what is troubling him—and listen without immediately judging, scolding or dismissing his feelings. When necessary, we must not hesitate to seek professional help.

And if there is a firearm in the home, the adult who owns it bears the grave responsibility of ensuring that no child can reach it. It must be securely locked away, with its ammunition separately stored. A gun left within a child’s reach is not merely an oversight. It is an invitation to irreversible tragedy.

No parent can watch a child every minute. No school can build a wall high enough to keep out every danger. And no government can legislate kindness into the human heart.

But at home, in the small acts children witness every day, we can teach them that anger passes, pain can be shared, help can be sought—and every human life, including their own, is precious. (Email: [email protected])