Philippines House Approves Bill Restricting Minors' Social Media Access, Banning Under-13s
The Philippine House of Representatives has approved House Bill No. 11566, known as the Safe and Friendly Environment for Kids in Digital Spaces Act, which aims to restrict social media use for minors. The bill prohibits children aged 13 and under from creating social media accounts. For teenagers between 14 and 17, the bill imposes a layered set of restrictions, limiting their exposure to harmful advertising, livestreaming, algorithmically driven short-video feeds, in-app purchases, and gambling-like mechanisms. It also requires platforms to prevent minors from being contacted by unknown adults and bars users under 18 from accessing AI features embedded in social media apps. This legislative move follows a similar bill passed by the Senate, which is stricter, restricting social media access for anyone under 18. The two chambers will now reconcile their versions before the bill can be sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for approval. The push for this legislation is partly fueled by recent school shooti...
