CACERES Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona said that the Catholic church must exert more effort to protect the youth, stressing that online disinformation is a “toxic environment.”

Tirona lamented that most victims of fake news are young people.

“Our Church must protect and guide our young people especially in this toxic environment of fake news,” Tirona said in his homily during mass at the Naga Cathedral.

The former head of the bishops’ Commission on Youth also condemned what he claimed was “the use of young people as trolls and agents of lies.”

Tirona, who also chaired the Youth Desk of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, called on young Filipinos to be vigilant on social media and be careful with fake news.

“They should know how to discern between right and wrong. So, it’s important for the church to focus its attention on the youth,” he said.