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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
)
25 JUL 15 A9.37
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 535
Rl-CEIV:
Introduced by Senator Erwin T. Tulfo
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING SAFEGUARDS FOR THE USE OF SOCIAL 
MEDIA BY MINORS, PROMOTING A SAFE AND AGE- 
APPROPRIATE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT, AND 
PROTECTING MINORS FROM DIGITAL ADDICTION, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Social media is deeply woven into Filipino youth eulture, with 
around 90 million soeial media users in the eountry and daily sereen 
time averaging eight to ten hours, making the Philippines one of the 
global leaders in digital consumption.1 Alarmingly, children as young 
as two months already average two hours of screen exposure daily.2 A 
study also showed that over 34 hours per week are spent on digital 
sereens purely for entertainment, exeeeding the global average by 
over two hours.3
1 Magadia, Carl, “Should Filipino minors be kept off social media?”, May 22, 2025, retrieved from: 
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/05/21/should-filipino-minors-be-kept-off-social-
media#:~:text=A%20nation%20glued%20to%20the,empowerment%20as%20well%20as%20distress., retrieved 
on July 14, 2025.
2 Capulong, A. D. G. & Clemente, J. A. R. (2025). Digital media practices among infants and toddlers based on 
Filipino mothers' self-reports. Plaridel, 22(1), 1-43. https://doi.org/10.52518/2023-03cplcmt
3 Carandang, Carla Mia,“Children and Screen Time: Is my child having too much?”, November 22, 2021,
retrieved 
from:https://medgate.ph/2021/l 1/22/children-and-screen-time-is-my-child-having-too-
much/#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20showed%20that%20the%20average,two%20hours%20higher%20than 
%20the%20global%20average., retrieved on July 14, 2025.


Prolonged screen use among Filipino children correlates with 
lower language development, psychosocial disruption, and decreased 
attention span, signaling early warning signs of mental and physical 
health issues.4 Minors using screens over nine hours daily risk mood 
disorders, impaired sleep, reduced physical activity, and higher 
obesity rates.
These troubling trends reveal a clear policy gap. Although 
digital platforms offer educational and social value, the State lacks 
effective safeguards to protect minors from online harms and digital 
addiction.
This bill seeks to address that gap by mandating age-appropriate 
access with parental oversight, establishing Anti-Digital addiction 
programs, imposing clear responsibilities on social media platforms 
and third-party age verification providers.
Hence, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly 
sought.
ERWIN T. TULFO
4 Dy, A.B.C., Dy, A.B.C. & Santos, S.K. Measuring effects of screen time on the development of children in the 
Philippines; a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Healthli, 1261 (2023). https://doi.0rg/lO.l 186/s 12889-023- 
16188-4


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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
SENATE
V . s- 
•
25 JUL 15 A9.-37
Rece;;:.;
rro
Senate Bill No. bt/O
(P
Introduced by Senator Erwin T. Tulfo
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING SAFEGUARDS FOR THE USE OF SOCIAL 
MEDIA BY MINORS, PROMOTING A SAFE AND AGE- 
APPROPRIATE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT, AND 
PROTECTING MINORS FROM DIGITAL ADDICTION, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION I. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the 
"Internet Safety and Protection of Minors Act."
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to 
promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the youth 
by safeguarding them from online risks and harmful content and the 
adverse effects of digital addiction, while ensuring their right to 
information and communication is respected through the provision of 
a safe and age-appropriate online environment, in line with the best 
interests of the child as recognized under the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of the Children and Philippine laws.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. -
a. Minors refers to person below eighteen (18) years of age or 
those over but are unable to fully take care of themselves or


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protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation 
or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or 
condition;
b. Social media platform refers to any internet-based service, 
network, application, website, or computer program that is 
intended to provide an electronic service that satisfies the 
following conditions:
i. 
Its sole or primary purpose is to enable online social 
interaction between two or more end-users;
ii. 
It allows end-users to link to, or interact with, some or 
all of the other end-users; and
iii. It allows end-users to upload or post online content or 
materials on it.
c. Social media platform providers refer to entities that own and 
operate social media platforms.
d. Third-party age verification providers refer to entities that 
provide age verification systems in social media platforms.
SEC. 4. Use of Social Media Platform and Age Restrictions. — 
Minors aged thirteen (13) to seventeen (17) may be granted limited 
access to social media platforms, subject to the following conditions:
a. Verified parental or, in the absence of the parents, guardian 
consent must be secured prior to account activation.
b. Social media platforms shall provide age-appropriate versions 
of their services with enhanced privacy, limited interaction 
capabilities, and curated content.
Minors below thirteen (13) years old shall be prohibited from 
registering and using social media accounts, unless for supervised 
educational purposes as authorized by the Department of Education 
(DepEd).


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SEC. 5. Duties of Social Media Platform Providers. - Social 
media platform providers shall provide reliable age verification 
measures in their platforms to prevent minors from registering, 
accessing, or continuing to use their social media service. They shall:
a. Adopt reliable means to ensure the age and identity of its users, 
such as but not limited to ID verifieation, faeial recognition, 
and other identity authentication systems;
b. Provide content filtering tools and/or parental control features 
to users, and ensure these are accessible, functional, and 
clearly explained to them;
c. Conduct regular audits of user account data to detect and 
remove age restricted users from the platform; and
d. Adopt prompt response mechanisms for reports or findings of 
minors on the platform.
SEC. 6. Data Privacy. - Any personal information collected by 
social media platforms or third-party age verification providers for the 
purpose of implementing age verification measures and complying 
with age restriction requirements shall be subjeet to the provisions of 
Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 
2012 and all other applicable data protection laws, rules and 
regulations.
Violation of this provision shall subject the soeial media platform 
providers or third-party age verification providers to penalties under 
the Data Privacy Act and any other administrative, civil, or criminal 
penalties as may be prescribed by law.
SEC. 7. Anti-Digital Addiction Program. - The Department of 
Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination 
with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education 
(DepEd), National Youth Commission (NYC), and other relevant 
agencies shall launch awareness campaigns and school-based programs 
to educate the youth and their parents about the signs, risks, and 
remedies of digital overuse and its links to mental and physical health 
issues as well as the proper and regulated use of social media.


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SEC. 8. Role of the Department of Information and 
Communications Technology. - The Department of Information and 
Communications Technology (DICT) shall serve as the primary 
implementing agency of this Act. In line with this mandate, the DICT 
shall have the following powers and functions:
a. Monitor compliance of social media platforms and third-party 
age verification service providers with age restrictions, 
identity verification protocols, and other requirements under 
this Act;
b. Establish reporting mechanisms for violations of this Act;
c. Conduct investigations, motu proprio or upon complaint, on 
alleged violations of this Act;
d. Issue Disabling Orders directing the takedown, removal, or 
deactivation of accounts found in violation of age restrictions;
e. Impose penalties in accordance with Section 9 of this Act; and
f Coordinate with relevant government agencies, including the
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), National 
Privacy Commission (NPC), Department of Social Welfare 
and Development (DSWD), and DepEd, to ensure consistent, 
child-sensitive, and effective enforcement of this Act.
SEC. 9. Disabling of Unauthorized Minor Accounts. - Social 
media platform providers shall automatically detect, remove, or 
deactivate accounts owned or used by minors in violation of this Act.
Upon receiving verified information or a complaint from the 
public or a government agency, the Department of Information and 
Communications Technology (DICT) may issue a Disabling Order, 
requiring the platform to disable the identified account within seventy- 
two (72) hours.
Within three (3) days after the issuance of the Disabling Order, 
the DICT shall inform the NTC, which shall monitor the social media 
platform provider’s compliance.


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SEC. 10. Penalties. - Any social media platform provider, or 
third-party age verification provider that fails to comply with any 
provision of this Act, including but not limited to the failure to 
implement adequate age verification systems, refusal to comply with a 
Disabling Order, or unauthorized retention or misuse of personal data 
collected under this Act, shall be subject to the following administrative 
penalties, without prejudice to any civil or criminal liability under 
existing laws:
a. For Social Media Platform Providers:
i. 
A fine of not less than One Million Pesos (Php 
1,000,000) but not exceeding Twenty Million Pesos 
(Php 20,000,000) for each act of non-compliance, 
depending on the gravity and frequency of the 
violation;
ii. 
A fine of not more than One Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(Php 100,000) for each day of continuing violation after 
due notice;
iii. Suspension or revocation of access, operations, or 
licenses within the Philippines upon a finding of gross 
negligence, repeated non-compliance, or willful 
violation, subject to due process.
b. For Third-Party Age Verification Providers:
i. 
A fine of not less than Five Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(Php 500,000.00) but not more than Five Million Pesos 
(Php 5,000,000) for breach of data privacy provisions 
or failure to meet verification standards sset under this 
Act;
ii. Permanent disqualification from providing related 
services to social media platforms operating in the 
Philippines upon a finding of gross negligence, 
repeated non-compliance, or willful misconduct, 
subject to due process.
The imposition of the above penalties shall be without prejudice 
to prosecution under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, the Republic Act


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No. 10175 Otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, 
or any other applicable penal law.
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety 
(90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DICT, in consultation 
with the NTC, NPC, DSWD, and DepEd and other relevant 
stakeholders shall promulgate the necessaiy rules and regulations for 
the implementation of this Act.
SEC. 12. Separability Clause. - Should any provision or part of 
this Act be declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions 
and parts hereof, insofar as they are separable from the invalid ones, 
shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified 
accordingly.
SEC. 14. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen 
(15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two 
(2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,