Safeguarding Digital Spaces: KHC Champions Youth Critical Thinking at the Social Media Regulation Summit

The Klaus Hoffarth Center for Critical Thinking (KHC) served as secretariat of the Social Media Regulation Summit organized by the Department of Education (DepEd) Strategic Management Group led by Undersecretary Ronald Mendoza, together with the World Bank, Ateneo Policy Center, and Student First Coalition, held on the 13th of April 2026, at the World Bank Country Office, Taguig City.

Photo Courtesy of the Department of Education

With children spending more time online now than ever, the summit was convened to facilitate an open dialogue addressing the challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends that shape digital space use among children and drawing lessons from foreign policy interventions.

KHC participated alongside government, civil society, and private sector representatives to assess policy approaches on social media governance and share insights on building a safer digital environment for children. Representing KHC were Dr. Victoria Bantug Hoffarth, Tam Angel, and Kristoff Arcega, with Mian Arcega serving as the event moderator, and Bianca Ferrer providing secretariat support.

The summit featured distinguished speakers, including Subhashini Rajasekaran, Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, who presented global trends in social media regulation. Ross Tapsell, Associate Professor at the Australian National University, further shared key lessons from Australia’s policy approach in social media regulation.

Photos Courtesy of the Department of Education

The roundtable discussion was facilitated by Dr. Clarissa David, Senior Research Fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center. It brought together a panel of experts, including Dr. Cheryll Ruth Soriano, Professor at De La Salle University; Atty. Michael Henry Yusingco, Senior Fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center; Dr. Christine Anne Cox, Assistant Professor at Ateneo De Manila University; and Atty. Archiesyl Torres-Galang of the Office of Senator Win Gatchalian.

The panel emphasized the need for holistic and rights-respecting approaches that not only focus on regulating digital spaces but also maximize its benefits in a manner that promotes children’s rights, well-being, and developmental needs.

The discussions highlighted priority areas for action, such as strengthening responsible digital governance, prioritizing safety-by-design measures on social media platforms, and equipping children with digital literacy education. Participants expressed shared sentiment supporting a whole-of-society approach, in which accountability is shared among digital platforms, policymakers, parents, educators, and content creators in raising empowered and informed digital citizens.

In efforts to promote child safety in digital governance, key insights from the summit will be consolidated by the Ateneo Policy Center into a synthesis paper for dissemination to relevant stakeholders.

KHC, through this initiative, remains committed to equipping the youth with foundational skills in critical thinking to navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly.