NUEVA ECIJA 3rd District Representative Rosanna Vergara filed a measure that will include internet and social media education in the primary and secondary education curriculum.

In filing House Bill 3114 or the proposed Internet and Social Media Education Act, Vergara stressed that the internet has opened a whole new dimension of accessing information and connecting with other people. However, she said that the internet also brings 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, and unfortunately, it appears that it is often the youth that succumb to its seemingly innocuous yet pernicious magnetism resulting in dire personal, social, and economic consequences to the victims and their families,” Vergara said in her explanatory note.

The measure mandates all primary and secondary schools, public and private to integrate Internet and Social Medica Education in their curriculum.

Among the topics to be discussed are the proper use of the internet and social media, the benefits of its prudent use, and the harmful effects of unregulated internet access and use.

Online gaming and gambling addiction specific lessons shall also be introduced and discussed from Grade 3 to Senior High School.

The measure also mandates the training of public school teachers with the necessary information, skills, and competency in delivering effective Internet and Social Media Education.