Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has flagged the high number of underage Filipino children using social media, citing Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing that most platforms’ minimum age requirements are routinely ignored.
Speaking during a Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing, Gatchalian said 72.86% of Filipino Internet users aged 10 already have social media accounts. The figure rises with age: 80.76% among 11-year-olds, 87.64% among 12-year-olds, and 93.72% among 13-year-olds. Facebook, the platform most Filipinos use, requires account holders to be at least 13 years old, but the PSA figures show that age limit does little to keep out younger children.
Gatchalian raised the numbers in the context of two bills he has filed in the Senate. Senate Bill No. 2066, or the proposed Social Media Safety for Children Act, seeks to prohibit social media use among minors below 16 years old. Senate Bill No. 627, the proposed Electronic Gadget-Free Schools Act, would ban smartphones and other electronic devices during class hours in public and private schools nationwide.
“Alam natin na maraming naidudulot na kabutihan ang teknolohiya. Ngunit may kaakibat din itong mga negatibong epekto sa ating mga kabataan, lalo na kung ang paggamit ng mga gadget at iba pang teknolohiya ay hindi namomonitor at hindi nabibigyan ng wastong gabay,” Gatchalian said.
The statement adds to a series of legislative moves this year targeting children’s social media access in the Philippines. Senator Loren Legarda filed a separate Senate bill in May setting the minimum social media age at 16, while a House measure introduced in June proposes age verification requirements and algorithm oversight for social media platforms operating in the country. Gatchalian himself renewed his push for a smartphone ban in schools in early July, ahead of the hearing where the PSA figures were presented.
Both of Gatchalian’s bills remain pending at the committee level in the Senate. No timeline has been set for when either measure will be brought to a floor vote.
