The Philippine Senate has approved a legislative bill that prohibits individuals under the age of 18 from using certain high-risk social media and digital platforms. This decision was made during the third and final reading, with 16 senators voting in favor, one against, and none abstaining.
Senate Bill No. 2424, known as the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, aims to tighten access for minors to digital services deemed high-risk, including specific social media platforms. If enacted into law, digital service providers categorized as high-risk must prevent users below 18 from creating accounts and implement age-assurance measures to verify users' ages.
The bill does not cover email services, private messaging applications, educational platforms, news services, professional collaboration tools, and online games primarily not intended for social networking.
Senator Robinhood Padilla, the bill's sponsor, stated that the goal is to protect children from online harm and other digital risks while promoting safe learning and healthy development for youth.
Once the law is in effect, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will oversee its implementation and establish a platform for reporting potential violations. Digital service providers found to be in violation could face fines ranging from PHP 5 million to PHP 2 million, along with a daily penalty of PHP 100,000 until compliance is achieved.
Additionally, parents or legal guardians who intentionally hinder age-assurance mechanisms could be fined up to PHP 50,000, required to perform community service, and attend seminars on digital parenting and child safety.