The Senate on Thursday, October 8, passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to restrict minors below 18 years old from accessing high-risk digital services, with Senator Risa Hontiveros casting the lone dissenting vote.
Senate Bill No. 2424, or the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, was approved with 16 votes in favor and one against.
Hontiveros explained her opposition, saying she believes a tiered approach to social media restrictions would better protect children than an outright ban.
“I believe that our objective is not simply to keep children off social media but to make sure that the online environment is safe for them, and that they are well equipped to find their way in that world safely and productively,” she said.
Her proposed safeguards include stronger default privacy and data settings, stricter limits on adult contact, restrictions on targeted advertising and profiling, and enhanced parental and educational protections.
Sponsored by Senator Robinhood Padilla, the measure would require covered high-risk digital services to prevent users under 18 from creating or accessing accounts and implement age-assurance mechanisms. Exemptions include educational platforms, news services, email, private messaging, and certain online gaming services.
If enacted, the measure would be implemented by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). Violating digital services could face fines of ₱5 million to ₱20 million per violation, plus ₱100,000 for each day of noncompliance.
