SENATOR Loren Legarda is urging Congress to support a measure aimed at strengthening safeguards for children online, citing rising concerns over cyberbullying, misinformation, exposure to harmful content, and compulsive social media use among minors.

Under Senate Bill No. 1955, or the proposed Children’s Safety in Social Media Act, Legarda seeks to set a minimum age of 16 for account ownership on covered social media platforms and require companies to strictly enforce age restrictions.

She said social media has become central to how Filipinos communicate, learn, and participate in public discourse, but warned that it also exposes young users to risks that can shape their behavior and worldview.

“Social media has transformed how Filipinos learn, communicate, and participate in public life. It can inform and inspire, but it can also mislead, overwhelm, and harm,” Legarda said.

The bill places primary responsibility on social media platforms to prevent underage users from creating or maintaining accounts through “reasonable, proportionate, and privacy-preserving safeguards.”

“Our children deserve that same protection now, in spaces where algorithms shape what they see, what they believe, and how they behave,” she added.

The proposal also seeks to balance regulation with constitutional rights, stressing that safeguards must remain lawful, necessary, and proportionate while respecting freedom of expression.

“While freedom of expression remains a cornerstone of our democratic life, it must be exercised within the bounds of law and with due regard for the rights of others,” Legarda said.

To address privacy concerns, the measure requires age verification systems to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and prohibits making government-issued identification the sole method of confirming age. It also promotes data minimization to limit unnecessary collection of personal information.

Beyond platform accountability, the bill promotes digital citizenship and media literacy programs in schools, stronger parental guidance tools, and improved safety features within social media platforms.

It also proposes the creation of an Inter-Agency Council led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, in coordination with the National Privacy Commission, National Telecommunications Commission, Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Justice, to address evolving online risks facing children.

“It takes a village to raise a child, and it likewise takes a whole-of-society framework to protect children in digital spaces shaped by rapidly evolving technologies,” Legarda said.