Philippine lower house approves bill restricting minors' social media access

The Philippine House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a legislative measure designed to restrict social media access for minors, marking a major milestone in the country's legislative push for digital child safety.

Passed on October 12, the measure moves the country a step closer to curbing online platform use by banning account creation for children under 13, while setting up a bicameral compromise with a stricter Senate version.

The lower house's bill which targets access for children under 13 follows a similar push by the Philippine Senate, which recently advanced a stricter version aiming to bar individuals under 18 from holding accounts on high-risk platforms.

Both chambers of Congress must now reconcile key differences in their respective drafts before a final version is sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for executive approval.

The legislative urgency has been heavily catalyzed by a troubling wave of recent school violence and campus shootings, which have reignited national debates regarding online radicalization, unmitigated digital content exposure, and youth mental health.

If enacted, major tech platforms will face stringent mandates to implement robust age-verification systems, disable non-compliant accounts, and shoulder heavy financial penalties for infractions.

While proponents argue the sweeping regulations are critical to shielding youth from online harms, civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers caution that balancing prohibition with digital literacy remains a complex challenge.

As reported, the Philippines is the latest country, from Greece and Portugal to Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia, to try to curb social media use by minors, as concern grows over its effects on child health and safety.

The progress of the legislation comes after three school shootings since June in the Philippines that reignited debate over children accessing social media and online content.

A 16-year-old last month shot dead at least two fellow students before turning the gun on himself, while in August, a student live-streamed himself shooting and killing a classmate before taking his own life.

As the Philippines joins a growing global wave of nations cracking down on youth tech consumption, tech firms are bracing for massive compliance overhauls across Southeast Asia.