If Sen. Manuel Villar has anything to do with it, your kids won’t be looking at porn on the Internet for very much longer. The Philippine politician has signed a bill that requires schools with Internet access to install software that blocks websites with pornographic content.
Expressing his alarm over the increasing prevalence of adult websites and violence on the Internet, Villar filed Senate Bill (SB) 751 on Wednesday, urging colleagues to support the bill as a means of protecting minors from offensively obscene content.
“The Internet is widely used by students and it is estimated that 70 percent Internet users in the country are students,” Villar stated. “Since limiting it is quite difficult, we can at least regulate Internet access or usage in schools and other educational institutions.”
Villar said that he feels the government should require schools with Internet access to install filters to keep kids away from porn, and proposed the creation of a Student Internet Protection Task Force to enforce school policies regarding Internet usage. Villar said those violating the rules should serve prison time or be forced to pay steep fines.
He urged parents and teachers to get more involved in what kids are looking at on the Internet, adding that the prevalence of Internet cafés has made it easier for minors to look at pornographic content.
“We should also monitor these Internet cafes and computer shops where many schoolchildren and students hang around,” he stated. “Many even cut classes to chat, surf, and engage in cyber games.”
