Filipino youth back social media regulation, not under-16 ban

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

METRO MANILA – Filipino youth are calling for safer, regulated, and age-appropriate digital environments instead of a blanket ban on social media access for children below 16, according to a consultation conducted by the child- and girls’ rights organization Plan International Pilipinas.

The consultation included an online survey of 164 respondents and a focus group discussion with 13 members of the organization’s Youth Advisory Group, and was conducted in response to growing policy debates both in the Philippines and abroad.

Most respondents are not asking for unrestricted social media access, the consultation found. Rather, they called for realistic and age-appropriate protections, stronger regulation of high-risk platform features, stronger safeguards, and stricter accountability for technology companies.

“Children and young people are asking adults to build systems that keep them safe while allowing them to stay connected. While concerns around exposure to harmful content and online harm are legitimate and reflect real risks to children’s safety and wellbeing, they point to broader systemic problems that a ban on access alone would not resolve,” said Plan International Pilipinas Executive Director Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang.

The United Kingdom recently announced plans to restrict social media access among children, following Australia, which introduced age verification and platform restrictions in December 2025.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 15, 2026 that the government would bar social media platforms from offering services to users below 16, with the first regulations to be brought before Parliament before the end of the year and protections expected to take effect in spring 2027. The British measure will cover platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, but not YouTube Kids or messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal.Australia’s ban has been in force since December 10, 2025, and a compliance update released by the Australian government in March 2026 found that a significant number of under-16 accounts had been removed, deactivated, or restricted, although a substantial number of children below 16 retained accounts. GOV.UK + 3

In the Philippines, several bills proposing similar restrictions have been filed in both houses of Congress, though none have been passed into law.

Among them are Senate Bill No. 2066, or the Social Media Safety for Children Act, filed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on April 22, which would prohibit children below 16 from registering, accessing, or maintaining accounts on any social media platform; House Bill No. 8262, or the Social Media Protection for Minors Act, filed by CIBAC Rep. Eddie Villanueva; House Bill No. 7300, or the Social Media Accountability Act, filed by Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla; and House Bill No. 9825, or the Digital Safety of Minors Act, filed by Deputy Speaker David Suarez, which would require age-assurance mechanisms and safety-by-default settings rather than an outright prohibition.

Gatchalian, citing the 2024 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, has said that 66% of children aged 10 to 16 used social media in the three months preceding the survey, and that 92.4% of children in that age range who use the internet maintain a social media account.

Sixty-three percent of survey respondents in the Plan International Pilipinas consultation selected “Depends / with conditions” when asked whether social media should be prohibited for children below 16.

Respondents who chose this option consistently pointed to the need for limits on screen time, active parental guidance, and age-appropriate platform settings.

Nearly three in ten respondents, or 29%, supported banning access outright, citing concerns over harmful content, cyberbullying, and addictive platform design.

A smaller share of respondents, 7%, opposed a ban entirely, citing social media’s role in learning and maintaining connections with friends and family.

During the focus group discussion, young people described what regulated social media access should look like and why a blanket ban would fall short in the Philippine context.

“Para sa amin na mga anak ng overseas Filipino workers (OFW), ang social media is not just entertainment for us. It is a connection. It is a relationship. It is love in digital form through chats, video calls, messages,” said one youth participant, describing how platforms allow children of OFWs to stay connected with parents abroad. “Ang ‘good morning’ ni Mama ay nasa Messenger na. Ang ‘kumain ka na ba?’ nasa video call na; ang ‘ingat’ nasa voice note na; ang yakap ay emoji na lang.”

(For us children of overseas Filipino workers, social media is not just entertainment. It is connection. It is relationship. It is love in digital form through chats, video calls, and messages. The ‘good morning’ from my mother is on Messenger. The ‘have you eaten?’ is on a video call; the ‘take care’ is in a voice note; the hug is just an emoji now)

Participants also raised practical concerns about enforcement, noting that many Filipino children already access the internet through shared devices, piso-wifi stations, internet cafés, or adult-created accounts.

“Hindi mawawala ang bata sa internet kapag ito ay banned, nawawala lang sila sa paningin ng nakakatanda,” one youth advocate said, warning that a ban would push children into less visible, less monitored online spaces rather than reducing their exposure to risk.

(A child will not disappear from the internet if it is banned; they will only disappear from adult sight)

Participants also emphasized that regulation should include reporting mechanisms that match how children and young people actually communicate online.

They called for easy, confidential, and familiar channels where children can disclose concerns at their own pace, without always relying on adults to report on their behalf.

“Sana may chat-based na reporting mechanism na convenient at accessible. Yung puwede kaming magsabi ng concerns anytime, at makapag-disclose at our own pace. Hindi sana yung matatanda lagi ang magre-report para sa amin. Dapat kami rin ang kusang makapagkukwento sa familiar na platform para sa amin,” one youth participant said.

(We hope there is a chat-based reporting mechanism that is convenient and accessible, where we can raise concerns anytime and disclose at our own pace. It should not always be adults reporting on our behalf. We should also be able to share our experiences voluntarily on a platform that is familiar to us)

Young people consulted also called for genuine consultation ahead of legislation.

“Sana ay kinokonsulta po kami bago mag-draft ng bills. Sana hindi lang po sila gagaya sa ibang bansa.”

(We hope we are consulted before bills are drafted. We hope policymakers do not simply copy what other countries are doing)

Sanchez-Ogang said the findings should inform more nuanced policymaking that moves beyond one-size-fits-all restrictions and instead focuses on strengthening systems that protect children while enabling safe, guided, and age-appropriate participation in digital spaces.

“Plan International Pilipinas is calling on Philippine lawmakers currently deliberating social media access restriction bills to adopt a regulatory approach that strengthens platform accountability, requires safety measures such as age verification and child-friendly reporting mechanisms, and invests in digital literacy for children, parents, and educators,” said Sanchez-Ogang.

The organization also urged parents and caregivers to maintain open communication with children about their online experiences.

It called on technology companies to strengthen safety-by-design features, age-appropriate settings, and reporting systems, and on schools and communities to build local awareness and support systems.