By Ellson Quismorio
The House of Representatives leadership is pushing for stricter online safety standards through House Bill (HB) No. 9965, which would prohibit children below 13 years old from creating or using social media accounts.
Filed by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, the proposed Children’s Social Media Safety Act introduces the country’s first comprehensive framework for regulating children’s access to digital platforms.
It requires platforms to implement reliable age verification systems, disable prohibited accounts, and prevent minors from repeatedly creating new accounts to bypass restrictions.
For children aged 13 to below 18, access would only be allowed with verifiable parental consent and active supervision.
Platforms would be mandated to provide parents with tools to monitor accounts, set screen time limits, and withdraw consent at any time.
The bill also seeks to protect minors from harmful content, manipulative algorithms, and misleading artificially generated material, while imposing hefty fines—up to ₱50 million—on platforms that fail to comply.
Dy said the measure recognizes children’s vulnerability in the digital space, stressing:
“Just as we have laws protecting children in schools, on the streets, and in our communities, we should also have clear safeguards while they use social media.”
