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Mental health group opposes blanket social media ban for minors - BusinessWorld Online
The group urged mental health support, safer schools and stronger platform safeguards, saying 16 senators backed the bill while one dissented.
- On Thursday, October 8, the Senate passed Senate Bill 2424, the 'Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces Act,' voting 16-1 to restrict social media access for Filipinos under 18.
- Lawmakers cited growing concerns over children's exposure to nihilistic content and online grooming following three recent school shootings in South Cotabato, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and San Jose National High School.
- High-Risk digital services face fines ranging from P5 million to P20 million per violation for failing to remove accounts used by minors, though exemptions apply to email, private messaging, educational platforms, and non-social online gaming services.
- Senator Risa Hontiveros, the lone dissenter, argued 18 should be the 'legal threshold for adulthood' rather than a 'developmental threshold,' proposing 'tiered restrictions for adolescents' with stronger privacy settings and parental safeguards instead.
- Akbayan Youth national chairperson Khylla Meneses criticized the ban for failing to address platform accountability, while the measure moves to the House for review amid broader stakeholder concerns about digital safety.
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Senate approves Smart Kids Act
THE Senate on Thursday approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 2424, or the proposed Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (Smart Kids) Act.The measure, sponsored by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, was approved via a 16-1 vote, with no abstentions, during the plenary session.The bill seeks to establish a system for identifying digital services considered high-risk to children and require parents, guardians, an…
·Manila, Philippines (the)
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Left
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources lean Left
63% Left
L 63%
12%
R 25%
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