SENATOR Joel Villanueva is urging the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) to include the proposed SMART KIDS Act among the administration’s priority measures, citing growing concerns over child safety following the deadly shooting at a high school in Tacloban City.

Villanueva said the tragedy underscores the need for a comprehensive strategy to protect children both in schools and in the digital spaces they frequently access.

While authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School, including reports of possible exposure to harmful online content, the senator stressed that his proposed legislation seeks to address a related concern—the largely unregulated online environments where many children spend significant amounts of time.

Senate Bill No. 2071, or the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, seeks to prohibit children below 15 years old from creating or maintaining accounts on social media platforms and other covered digital services.

The measure places responsibility for enforcement on platform operators rather than on young users.

According to Villanueva, the bill complements existing child protection measures already identified as LEDAC priorities, including proposed amendments to laws against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. He said the SMART KIDS Act focuses on platform design and account access rather than content regulation alone.

“This bill is anchored on a simple but vital principle: those who shape the digital environment must also be responsible for making it safe,” Villanueva said.

The senator noted that many digital platforms are designed to maximize user engagement through algorithm-driven feeds, infinite scrolling, and auto-play features, making children more vulnerable to harmful content and excessive use.

Under the proposed measure, social networking sites, content-sharing platforms, messaging applications with social features, and services that rely on algorithmic feeds would be required to implement age-assurance systems, content moderation mechanisms, safety-by-design features, and regular risk assessments to identify and remove underage accounts.

Platform operators would also be required to submit annual transparency reports to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The bill includes data privacy safeguards by prohibiting platforms from requiring government-issued identification cards for age verification or creating centralized identity databases.

Companies found violating the proposed law could face administrative fines ranging from ₱1 million to ₱20 million. Repeated or grossly negligent violations could result in penalties of up to ₱50 million and possible suspension of operations.

Villanueva emphasized that the measure does not impose criminal, civil, or administrative liability on children.

“Rather than penalizing young users, the measure ensures that those who design, operate, and profit from digital platforms are held accountable for maintaining a safe environment,” he said.

The proposal also requires schools to designate an Online Safety Coordinator from among existing personnel to address digital safety concerns without creating new government positions.