House bills ban socmed access for 16 and under

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March 11, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Taking their cue from Australia, Spain and France, two House lawmakers have filed bills prohibiting children aged 16 and below from accessing social media.

“Filipino users have the right to know how their data is used and how algorithms influence the content they see every day,” said Cavite Rep.Lani Mercado-Revilla, author of House Bill 7300 or the Social Media Accountability Act.

“This measure is not about policing opinions. It is about accountability, making sure that digital systems do not put profit ahead of people, and that users are informed, protected and empowered,” she stressed.

CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, for his part, authored House Bill 8262 or the Social Media Protection for Minors Act.

Social media platforms, not minors or their parents, bear primary responsibility for preventing underage access, according to HB 8262.

Platforms must deploy robust age-assurance technologies, remove accounts suspected of belonging to minors and submit periodic transparency reports detailing their compliance actions, the bill reads.

A Social Media Accountability Council will be created and attached to the Department of Information and Communications Technology to protect underage users, according to HB 7300. – Ramon Efren Lazaro