PH Senate OK's bill restricting social media use by minors on final reading
On Sept 7, 2026, a House of Representatives panel has proposed a full social media ban for children below 13 and restrictions on the said technology’s use for those aged 13 to 18, as a means to shield young people from harmful content online. Calls for the ban emerged amid fears that unrestricted online access influenced the students who were behind three separate school shooting incidents.
For the Senate part, Senate Bill No. 2424, or the Child Online Safety and Protection Act, which seeks to protect children from physical, mental and social harms from social media platforms, was passed on second reading on Sept 30. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, restricts minors or those below 18 years old from using social media.
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On October 8, the Philippine Senate approved the said Bill (SB 2424) on third and final reading. The upper chamber approved Senate Bill in a 16-1-0 vote. Described as the Child Online Safety and Protection Act, the measure seeks to protect children from physical, mental, social, and emotional harms from the use of social media platforms.
These platforms will be mandated to ensure that no person under 18 years old is able to access or create an account on the platform, and likewise must establish systems to accurately and appropriately verify the age of its users. Such systems must also provide parental safety tools for age-restricted users.
However, the provisions do not cover e-mailing platforms, private messaging services, online gaming that is not primarily used for social networking, educational platforms, news services, and professional collaboration tools.
Once enacted, children below 18 years of age will not be allowed to register, access, use, maintain, operate, or create an account on any age-restricted social media platform. And the implementation of the safeguards will be subject to the oversight of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
International social media platforms operating in the Philippines would be required to comply with the measure, designate a representative in the country, and work with Philippine authorities in the implementation of the bill.
High-risk digital services found violating the proposed law could face administrative fines ranging from P5 million to P20 million for each violation. Parents and guardians who violate the measure could also face fines of P5,000 to P20,000 or be required to render community service.
Social media, being a media platform, primarily functions as source of news, information, general knowledge and entertainment. But the nonstop flow and sheer volume of materials can really be intimidating and outright disturbing. What is really alarming is the influence on young minds in the time when they are most vulnerable to absorb anything they see on the screen.
Reference: Senate approves bill restricting social media use by minors
