House Bill filed mandating Internet and Social Media Education in primary, secondary schools curriculum

Nueva Ecija, 3rd District Representative Rosanna “Ria” Vergara also recently filed a bill that seeks to integrate Internet and Social Media Education in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools.

Under House Bill No. 3114 36, all primary and secondary schools, public and private, shall be required to integrate Internet and Social Media Education in their curriculum, specifically on the proper use of the internet and social media, the benefits of prudent use, and the harmful effects of unregulated access and use.

The DepEd, in consultation with the DICT, will integrate the said course into the primary and secondary schools’ curriculum framework and develop an appropriate grade-level-specific content matrix. Online gaming and gambling addiction-specific lessons will be introduced and discussed from Grade 3 to Senior High School.

The Act also mandates training to equip public school teachers with the necessary information and skills to deliver the course. The DepEd will also formulate training modules, while DepEd-sponsored training sessions will be made available to private school teachers free of charge.

Information, resources, seminars, or training about the course will also be made available to parents, while at the same time, the Dep_ed will coordinate with the parent-teachers association as partners in its efforts.

“In as much as the internet offers novel advantages, it also inadvertently brings with it certain evils such as fraud, pornography, bullying, gambling, and addiction to online and/or computer gaming. More recently, the proliferation of “fake news” and other types of misinformation circulating online have also been alarming,” said Vergara in the bill’s explanatory note.

“This measure aims to instruct and educate school-age children to the responsible and prudent use of the internet and social media platforms so that they may truly benefit from its advantages and avoid the dangers and risks arising from the uninformed and unregulated use thereof,” added Vergara.