On March 13, 2026, Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, presided over the 4th Synergy Forum for Bangkok Children and Youth’s Quality of Life, a significant gathering at the Prince Palace Hotel aimed at fortifying the city’s child protection networks. During the event, he highlighted a critical social reality: many instances of youth violence and exploitation arise from a lack of “safe spaces” in a child’s daily routine. He illustrated this with a sobering example of a child who, feeling unsafe at school, sought refuge in game arcades and was eventually lured into a cross-province drug case. To address these systemic gaps, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is championing “Saturday School” and “Open Education” policies, which transform schools into supervised, creative hubs after hours, effectively reducing the time children spend in high-risk environments.

The BMA’s strategy also tackles the complexities of the digital age, where children often navigate online identities that clash with their real-world lives, sometimes leading to behavioral shifts or exposure to violence. In response, the administration is exploring balanced measures to manage social media and electronic device usage within schools to prioritize safety without stifling learning. Deputy Governor Sanon emphasized that while legal frameworks are essential, they are secondary to a societal foundation of “love and understanding”. He argued that the goal is to build a protection system where youth feel empowered to seek help, backed by the confidence that the city’s support mechanisms are both accessible and effective.

This collaborative effort brings together the BMA’s Social Development Department, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHPF), the Why I Why Foundation, and various local NGOs. By empowering frontline child protection workers and practitioners to exchange ideas, the forum serves as a catalyst for a more unified and responsive social safety net. The Deputy Governor concluded that true child welfare cannot be achieved by policy alone; it requires the active cooperation of teachers, families, and community networks to ensure that every child in Bangkok can grow up in an environment defined by security rather than fear.

#GoodLearning #GoodSafety #BMASchoolsHaveChanged