Bohol solon seeks social media ban for children below 15

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — Bohol 3rd District Representative Alexie Besas-Tutor has proposed banning children aged 15 and below from creating social media accounts as part of efforts to strengthen online protection for minors.

Under her proposal, minors aged 16 and 17 will be required to obtain verified consent from a parent or guardian before creating a social media account.

Tutor also wants social media accounts of 16 and 17-year-olds to have parental controls covering privacy settings, contact with strangers, the type of content they can access, online spending and screen time.

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“The Philippines should set clear age-based rules to protect children on social media and online gaming platforms,” Tutor said in a statement.

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She said similar safeguards should also be applied to online gaming platforms, particularly those where children can communicate or play with people they do not know.

Tutor cited concerns over open chats, user-generated content, contact with strangers, and the possibility of children spending money online without adequate safeguards.

She welcomed commitments from Meta and Roblox to strengthen age verification and parental controls but stressed that children’s online safety should not depend solely on the goodwill of technology companies.

Tutor also called for stronger privacy protections for minors, including limits on the collection, analysis, use and sharing of children’s personal data that could compromise their privacy.

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“Strangers, predators, violent content, gambling, manipulation and commercial exploitation can now reach children through a phone,” she said.

She urged the government to strictly enforce existing laws and child-protection mechanisms while calling on Congress to enact additional measures to strengthen online safety, particularly for children and young people. /apl