Philippines moves closer to restricting children’s social media access

The Philippine House of Representatives has approved legislation that would prevent children under 13 from using social media platforms, advancing efforts to tighten online protections for minors amid growing concern over children’s health and safety.

The measure was approved on Monday (October 12), but has not yet become law. The House and Senate must first reconcile differences between their respective versions before a final bill can be sent to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for consideration.

Senate version proposes stricter age limit

The Senate has already approved a more restrictive version that would prohibit anyone under 18 from creating a social media account, according to Reuters.

The House measure instead focuses on preventing children under 13 from accessing social media independently, while establishing additional safety requirements for older minors. Earlier House proposals on the issue were consolidated into House Bill No. 11566, which sets safety standards for children using social media and online gaming platforms.

The two chambers must agree on a common version before the legislation can proceed to the president.

School shootings intensify debate

The legislation has moved forward amid renewed debate in the Philippines over children’s exposure to social media and harmful online content following three school shootings since June.

In one case in September, a 16-year-old student shot and killed at least two fellow students before taking his own life. Another incident in August involved a student livestreaming the fatal shooting of a classmate before killing himself.

The incidents have intensified calls for stronger safeguards around children’s online activity, although the extent to which social media contributed to individual attacks remains a matter for investigation.

Marcos warns against blanket restrictions

Marcos said on Sunday that he was studying the Senate-approved proposal, while cautioning that overly broad restrictions could have unintended consequences.

He warned that banning social media outright for younger users might push children to conceal their online activities from parents and authorities, potentially making them more vulnerable to grooming and other forms of exploitation.

Southeast Asian countries tighten rules for minors

The Philippines is part of a wider international move to restrict children’s access to social media.

Malaysia began enforcing rules on June 1 preventing children under 16 from opening social media accounts. Platforms are required to verify users’ ages through official identification documents or approved digital identity systems.

Indonesia introduced restrictions on March 28 requiring high-risk platforms to deactivate accounts belonging to users under 16. The rules apply to services including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X and Roblox.

By early October, TikTok had deactivated around 9 million accounts belonging to Indonesian users under 16.

Meta had disabled about 184,000 accounts, comprising roughly 85,000 Instagram accounts and 99,000 Facebook accounts, while moving 22.5 million young users into its teen-account system.

Australia and several European countries have also moved towards tighter age restrictions and stronger safeguards for children online.

The Philippine legislation will now depend on negotiations between the House and Senate, with the final age threshold and platform obligations still to be settled before the bill reaches Marcos.

Source: Reuters