Senate bill filed limiting social media use for minors

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to limit and regulate the use of social media by minors has been filed in the Senate, with children 12 years old and below prohibited from accessing it, except for supervised educational purposes authorized by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who authored Senate Bill No. 595, said that although digital platforms offer educational and social value, the government lacks effective safeguards to protect minors from online harms and digital addiction.

“This bill seeks to address that gap by mandating age-appropriate access with parental oversight, establishing anti-digital addiction programs, imposing clear responsibilities on social media platforms and third-party age verification providers,” he said.

READ: Lacson proposes to ban minors from social media use

According to him, there are some 90 million social media users in the country, where the daily screen time averages eight to 10 hours, making the Philippines one of the global leaders in digital consumption.

Tulfo added that prolonged screen use among Filipino children “correlates with lower language development, psychosocial disruption, and decreased attention span, signaling early warning signs of mental and physical health issues.”

Under the proposed measure, 13- to 17-year-olds may use social media only with verified parental or guardian consent, accessing age-appropriate versions with limited interaction and enhanced privacy.

Likewise, the bill provides that the Department of Information and Communications Technology, in coordination with the DepEd, the Department of Health, and the National Youth Commission, will be mandated to launch a National Anti-Digital Addiction Campaign.

This includes school-based programs to educate and increase youth and parent awareness about the risks and signs of digital addiction. /cb

(2025/07/17-05:46)

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