HOUSE Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III is pushing to make digital literacy a mandatory component of the country’s basic education curriculum as the House of Representatives continues to deliberate on measures regulating minors’ access to social media.

Dy raised the proposal during the meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) under the House Committee on the Welfare of Children, chaired by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo.

The TWG is conducting a comprehensive review of several bills seeking to regulate children’s use of social media, with lawmakers examining the appropriate age at which restrictions or prohibitions should apply.

Among the measures under consideration is House Bill No. 9965, authored by Dy along with House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, which proposes a graduated framework for minors’ access to social media.

Under the proposed measure, children below 13 years old would be prohibited from creating social media accounts. Meanwhile, minors aged 13 to below 18 would only be allowed to access social media platforms with verifiable parental consent and under continuous parental supervision.

Dy said integrating digital literacy into the basic education curriculum would equip young Filipinos with the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to navigate the online environment safely and responsibly while reinforcing legislative efforts to strengthen child online protection.

The House leadership has emphasized that promoting digital literacy alongside appropriate regulation and parental involvement is key to protecting children from online risks while enabling them to benefit from the opportunities offered by digital technology.