Philippine lower house approves bill restricting minors' social media access

On October 12, the Philippines' lower house of Congress approved a bill that would restrict social media access for children under 13, moving the country closer to joining nations like Greece, Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia in implementing such measures. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill, which will need to be reconciled with the Senate's version before submission for presidential approval.

The legislation's passage follows three school shootings in the Philippines since June that have reignited debate over children's access to social media and online content. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr expressed concerns about a blanket ban causing children to hide their online activities, leaving them vulnerable to grooming and abuse.

While the Senate's bill is stricter, requiring individuals under 18 to be banned from creating social media accounts, major platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Meta Platforms have not yet commented on the approval. Meanwhile, Malaysia began barring under-16s from registering social media accounts in June, with a deadline of January 2027 to implement the measure.

Indonesia also implemented a regulation in March, requiring high-risk social media firms to deactivate accounts belonging to children under 16, with major platforms deactivating thousands of accounts in recent weeks.