SENATOR Robinhood Padilla on Tuesday said many children today are “weaker” compared to previous generations, attributing this to the growing number of young people experiencing depression.

Padilla made the remark during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media on proposed measures aimed at ensuring children’s safety on social media.

The senator apologized in advance to the youth, saying he did not mean to offend, but maintained that many children today appear emotionally fragile.

“When I was young, around 80 to 90 percent of children were not crybabies. Many of us learned our lessons in the streets,” Padilla said, recalling his generation’s upbringing.

He added that the term “depression” was not commonly used during his time, unlike today, when even young children openly describe themselves as depressed or sad.

Padilla also expressed concern over what he described as the youth’s growing addiction to social media, saying it is sad to see how dependent many young people have become on digital platforms.

The senator said this is one of the reasons why several lawmakers, including himself, have filed bills seeking to regulate or possibly ban minors from using social media, similar to measures being implemented in other countries.

However, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, maintained that there is currently no need to prohibit minors from accessing social media platforms.

Berni Moestafa, Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Indonesia and the Philippines, said the company believes young people have the right to access digital platforms.

Moestafa added that Meta continues to implement policies and safeguards designed to protect children and ensure their safety online.