Senate passes bill banning 18-and-under from social media

By a 16-1 vote, the Senate passed a bill restricting teens under 18 from maintaining access to social media in an ambitious effort to minimize children’s exposure to harmful digital content amid the unprecedented spate of deadly school shootings.

Sponsored by Senator Robin Padilla, Senate Bill 2424, or the proposed “Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act,” aims to safeguard children from “high-risk digital services” while preserving access to educational platforms and digital news services.

The bill raised the minimum age from the initially proposed 16 to 18. The measure mandates strict age verification, enhanced safeguards for personal data, and measures to address harmful or addictive platform features.

Emails, private messaging apps, and online gaming services intended for gameplay and not social networking are not subject to access restrictions.

“The ‘SMART KIDS’ Act is an important step to strengthen the protection of children online, to establish safeguards for high-risk digital services, and to clarify the responsibility of parents, schools, governments, and technology platforms,” Padilla said in his speech after the bill’s approval.

If passed into law, teens under 18 would be prohibited from creating, maintaining, or accessing accounts on age-restricted digital platforms, not only social media. It will also compel the suspension, restriction, disabling, and removal of existing accounts found to belong to users under 18.

Social media platforms, age-verification providers, or government agencies violating the provisions could face penalties of P1 million and P20 million per offense.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who cast the lone negative vote, argued that an outright ban is not the solution, but stricter safeguards, algorithm controls, and stronger platform accountability.

Hontiveros feared a blanket ban could deny youth access to digital opportunities, such as online selling, content creation, and virtual assistant work, that help them earn money.

Online exposure blamed for spate of school shootings

Moreover, it could deprive children of overseas Filipino workers of communicating with their families abroad, and may curtail their rights to report abuse and exploitation, among others.

“Mr. President, I have been strongly advocating for stronger protection of children online because the risks and dangers are real. This aligns with the bills and reforms I am championing for children and the youth,” she said.

“Children are exposed to cyberbullying, harmful content, grooming, online sexual abuse and exploitation, nihilistic violent extremism, and other harmful elements embedded in the platform designs themselves. But the question is not simply whether we should protect children. The issue is how we can effectively protect them,” the lawmaker added.

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed the counterpart measure on second reading, though the minimum age set is way below, at 13 years old.

Lawmakers from both chambers introduced the strict age limits following a series of fatal gun attacks at public and private schools carried out by enrolled minors.

They blamed the recent shootings on overexposure to social media and online gaming platforms, reportedly being exploited by “groomers” who brainwash children to become radical and violent.

The first school shooting recorded in San Jose National High School in Tacloban on 22 June, killing three students and injuring dozens, was followed by another fatal gunfire incident in Ateneo de Zamboanga University on 18 August. Two minors were killed, including the shooter.

The recent gun violence was reported at Banga National High School in South Cotabato on 18 September, where two 14-year-old students were killed. The perpetrators of school gun attacks are also minors and enrolled in the said schools.

If enacted, the Philippines would join countries such as Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia in establishing a statutory minimum age for social media access.

The European Union has already announced plans to join the bandwagon, though it would need approval from the European Parliament and 27 member states before it becomes law.