13/10/2026
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ | Not really a SMART move
Senate just approved the Senate Bill No. 2424 or Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids (SMART Kids), for its third and final reading sponsored by Senator Robin Padilla on October 8. The bill requires high-risk digital services and social media platforms to restrict, remove or suspend any accounts belonging to a person aged 16 below.
The rush and the push of the bill arose from concerns about the influences of social media platforms and effects it has on young usersโto protect minors physically, mentally, from online explanations and excessive distractions.
However, blanket bans are not the practical solution for protecting minors. We cannot ignore that the youth's access to social media poses a danger to their safety. But, social media is a place where our youth could connect and maintain relationships with their friends and familyโimmediately cutting them off creates more problems than solutions to pressing issues.
The ban covers major international social media networks such as Tiktok, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. This immediate ban creates difficulties in communication because schools and families have no means in communicating with the youth. Many teens who thrive in online communities become socially isolated as their identity becomes a niche in the real-world. There is also a grave risk of creating a โblack market' for social media. Even with bans imposed by law, some find workarounds through VPNs and less-regulated websites. Meanwhile notorious groups move to a new platform and stay under the radar until another controversy fishes them out the pond.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros was the sole vote against the SMART Kids bill. She emphasized that an absolute ban for all minors fails to take into consideration that a 13-year-old and 15-year-old have different levels of development. Instead, she offers a tiered implementation for social media access for minors, recognizing the value of autonomy minors must have. This implementation creates a fair ground where the government enacts protections for children, while regulating a teen's social media consumption without undermining their independence.
In Singapore, instead of a full blanket ban for minors, it introduced a tiered system. For minors under 13, designated platforms and measures are done to prevent them from creating accounts. While for anyone 13-17, they have access, provided that it is age-appropriate including safeguards for content and potentially addictive features. An approach like this ensures that security and autonomy is maintained at a perfect balance. A government that maintains the security of its citizens, while at the same time is ensuring that their citizens experience freedoms that are both safe and regulated.
Meanwhile, the house of representatives have approved similar measures, House Bill 11566 or the Safe and Friendly Environment for Kids in Digital Spaces (Safe) Act, for its third and final reading authored by speaker Faustino Dy III, senior deputy speaker Ferdinand Hernandez and majority leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos. Similar to Singapore, it prohibits children below 13 to create and use accounts while 13-18 have access to social media. This comes with restrictions on prohibited content, unnecessary collection or sharing of information and behavioural profiling.
Implementing this restriction among teenagers would require careful planning on the kinds of content they may consume. But we must put into consideration that the autonomy of our youth cannot be undermined for a quick and easy solution. The youth is not a one-size-fits-all, as they grow older we must slowly open their access because it will serve as their platform to express themselves, voice out their concerns and be present in current events.
It is a necessary concern to address what youth access and how it affects their perception of the world, community and themselves. But it is impractical to undermine the freedoms they enjoyโsuch as expression and autonomyโfor fears of dangerous influences without considering the consequences it may lead to. They cannot remove the desires of the youth to access these platforms which may put them at greater risks that the government cannot reach.
It is at the hands of the Senate and House of Representatives to maintain the balance between regulation and autonomy is delivered fairly. A properly tiered system where designated platforms and strict measures are done to restrict children from access while still letting teenagers enjoy autonomy with strict age-appropriate content, safeguards and monitoring of possible dangerous behavior. To recognize the concerns of the general public and protect the interest of our youth to safe and responsible access.
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๐๏ธ | Mary Jhairaden Arevalo
