A House bill seeking to impose fines of up to ₱50 million and possible operating restrictions on social media platforms that fail to protect children online has been filed by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.
House Bill No. 9965, or the proposed Children’s Social Media Safety Act, seeks to establish the country’s first comprehensive framework regulating children’s access to and use of social media platforms.
Dy said the measure aims to ensure that technology supports the healthy development of young people instead of exposing them to harm.
“Nakikita natin na malaking bahagi ang social media sa araw-araw na buhay kaya mas malaki rin ang ating responsibilidad na tiyaking ligtas ang ating mga anak habang gumagamit nito. If we will allow Filipino children to explore the online world, they should be given sufficient protections,” Dy said in a statement.
The bill seeks to require social media platforms to implement age verification systems, parental controls, stronger privacy safeguards, limits on harmful content, algorithm transparency, and tools that allow parents and guardians to monitor and supervise children’s online activity.
Under the proposal, children below 13 years old would be prohibited from creating, maintaining, or using social media accounts. Platforms would be required to immediately disable prohibited accounts and adopt safeguards to prevent children from repeatedly creating new accounts to evade the restriction.
For children aged 13 to below 18, access to social media would be allowed only with verifiable parental or guardian consent and active supervision. Platforms must also periodically reverify users’ age and parental consent, and restrict or suspend access once consent is withdrawn.
The bill also requires social media companies to provide parents and guardians with tools to monitor online activity and interactions, manage privacy settings, set screen-time limits, restrict interactions, impose breaks, and withdraw consent when necessary.
Child accounts must carry the highest privacy and safety settings by default. Platforms would also be required to restrict geolocation sharing and financial transactions by minors, prevent automatic redirection to potentially harmful external websites, and prohibit the unnecessary collection or use of children’s biometric and sensitive personal data.
Dy said the proposal is not intended to deprive children of technology, but to make their digital engagement safer and more age-appropriate.
“Hindi natin ipinagkakait sa kabataan ang teknolohiya. Malaki ang naitutulong nito sa pag-aaral, komunikasyon, at pagkatuto. Ang layunin natin ay tiyaking naaayon ang paggamit nito sa kanilang edad at magkaroon sila ng sapat na gabay ng magulang. Habang lumalawak ang digital world, kailangan ding patibayin ang proteksiyon para sa ating mga anak,” he said.
The measure also seeks to regulate algorithms and digital systems used by social media platforms to recommend and distribute content. It would prohibit algorithms from promoting harmful content, require platforms to detect and limit children’s exposure to such material, prevent manipulative platform designs, and require the removal of artificially generated or altered content that falsely depicts real events, persons, or statements, or is likely to mislead users.
Platforms would also be required to disclose how their algorithms influence content shown to users, subject algorithmic decisions affecting children to meaningful human oversight, and submit regular transparency reports to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
To promote responsible digital citizenship, the bill directs the DICT, in coordination with the Department of Education, to integrate digital literacy and ethical social media use into the K to 12 curriculum. It also provides for training programs for teachers and awareness campaigns for parents and children.
The measure further directs local government units, through their Local Councils for the Protection of Children, to establish age-appropriate community-based recreational programs, maintain device-free community spaces, and organize sports, arts, and civic activities to encourage children to spend more time offline.
Under the bill, platforms that fail to act on requests involving prohibited accounts may face fines ranging from ₱5 million to ₱10 million. Violations of platform obligations and enforcement requirements carry heavier penalties of ₱20 million to ₱50 million.
In cases of repeated and serious violations, social media platforms may face temporary restriction of access in the Philippines or be prohibited from operating in the country, subject to due process.
Dy said protecting children online can no longer rest solely on parents because of the reach and influence of social media platforms.
“Given the reach of social media and the internet, protecting children can no longer rest solely on the shoulders of parents. Tungkulin din ng pamahalaan na tiyakin na ang mga social media platform ay may pananagutan sa paggawa ng mas ligtas na digital environment para sa ating mga kabataan. Sa panahon ng mabilis na pag-unlad ng teknolohiya, ang kapakanan ng bawat batang Pilipino ang dapat maging pangunahing batayan ng ating mga polisiya,” he said.