NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
Speaker Dy Seeks Tighter Social Media Rules To Better Protect Filipino Children
Photo credit: Congress PH
Speaker of the House Faustino Dy III is pushing for stronger measures to protect Filipino children from the growing risks of social media, saying the government must ensure that technology supports young people's well-being instead of putting them in harm's way.
Together with Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, Dy filed House Bill No. 9965, also known as the Children's Social Media Safety Act, which aims to create the country's first comprehensive legal framework governing children's access to and use of social media platforms.
According to Dy, while social media has become an important part of everyday life, it also brings greater responsibility to keep children safe online.
He said digital platforms offer valuable opportunities for learning, communication, and personal development, but they also expose children to risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content, online exploitation, excessive screen time, anxiety, sleep disruption, and other threats that current laws do not fully address.
The proposed measure introduces an age-based system for social media access. Children below 13 years old would not be allowed to create or maintain social media accounts. Platforms would be required to implement reliable age verification systems, remove prohibited accounts, and prevent users from repeatedly creating new accounts to bypass the restrictions.
Meanwhile, children aged 13 to below 18 would only be allowed to use social media with verified parental or guardian consent and active supervision. Social media companies would also be required to regularly verify both the child's age and parental approval, while automatically restricting access if consent is withdrawn.
The bill also seeks to give parents more control over their children's online activities by requiring platforms to provide tools that allow them to monitor usage, manage privacy settings, limit screen time, control online interactions, and revoke permission whenever necessary.
To further strengthen online safety, child accounts would automatically receive the highest privacy protections by default. These include restrictions on location sharing, financial transactions, and the collection of biometric and other sensitive personal information.
Dy emphasized that the proposal is not intended to prevent children from using technology but to promote safer and healthier digital habits with proper parental guidance.
Beyond user protections, the bill also targets the systems used by social media companies. It would require platforms to limit children's exposure to harmful content, prevent manipulative platform designs, improve transparency on how algorithms recommend content, and remove misleading AI-generated or digitally altered material that could deceive users.
The proposal also promotes digital literacy by directing the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), to integrate responsible social media use and digital citizenship into the K to 12 curriculum. It likewise calls for teacher training programs and public awareness campaigns for parents and students.
At the community level, local government units would be encouraged to establish device-free public spaces and organize sports, arts, and civic activities that promote healthy offline engagement among children.
To enforce the proposed law, the DICT would be authorized to monitor compliance, issue cease-and-desist orders, and coordinate with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC). Social media platforms found repeatedly violating the law could face fines ranging from P5 million to P50 million, and in cases of serious or repeated offenses, temporary restrictions or suspension of operations in the Philippines, subject to due process.
Dy said protecting children in today's digital age should not rest solely on parents, stressing that both the government and social media companies must share responsibility in creating a safer online environment for Filipino youth.
Together with Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, Dy filed House Bill No. 9965, also known as the Children's Social Media Safety Act, which aims to create the country's first comprehensive legal framework governing children's access to and use of social media platforms.
According to Dy, while social media has become an important part of everyday life, it also brings greater responsibility to keep children safe online.
He said digital platforms offer valuable opportunities for learning, communication, and personal development, but they also expose children to risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content, online exploitation, excessive screen time, anxiety, sleep disruption, and other threats that current laws do not fully address.
The proposed measure introduces an age-based system for social media access. Children below 13 years old would not be allowed to create or maintain social media accounts. Platforms would be required to implement reliable age verification systems, remove prohibited accounts, and prevent users from repeatedly creating new accounts to bypass the restrictions.
Meanwhile, children aged 13 to below 18 would only be allowed to use social media with verified parental or guardian consent and active supervision. Social media companies would also be required to regularly verify both the child's age and parental approval, while automatically restricting access if consent is withdrawn.
The bill also seeks to give parents more control over their children's online activities by requiring platforms to provide tools that allow them to monitor usage, manage privacy settings, limit screen time, control online interactions, and revoke permission whenever necessary.
To further strengthen online safety, child accounts would automatically receive the highest privacy protections by default. These include restrictions on location sharing, financial transactions, and the collection of biometric and other sensitive personal information.
Dy emphasized that the proposal is not intended to prevent children from using technology but to promote safer and healthier digital habits with proper parental guidance.
Beyond user protections, the bill also targets the systems used by social media companies. It would require platforms to limit children's exposure to harmful content, prevent manipulative platform designs, improve transparency on how algorithms recommend content, and remove misleading AI-generated or digitally altered material that could deceive users.
The proposal also promotes digital literacy by directing the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), to integrate responsible social media use and digital citizenship into the K to 12 curriculum. It likewise calls for teacher training programs and public awareness campaigns for parents and students.
At the community level, local government units would be encouraged to establish device-free public spaces and organize sports, arts, and civic activities that promote healthy offline engagement among children.
To enforce the proposed law, the DICT would be authorized to monitor compliance, issue cease-and-desist orders, and coordinate with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC). Social media platforms found repeatedly violating the law could face fines ranging from P5 million to P50 million, and in cases of serious or repeated offenses, temporary restrictions or suspension of operations in the Philippines, subject to due process.
Dy said protecting children in today's digital age should not rest solely on parents, stressing that both the government and social media companies must share responsibility in creating a safer online environment for Filipino youth.
Jun 30, 2026
We are dedicated storytellers with a passion for bringing your brand to life. Our services range from news and media features to brand promotion and collaborations.
Interested? Visit our
Contact Us page for more information. To learn more about what we offer, check out our latest article on services and opportunities.
