House committee approves tighter online safeguards for children – BusinessWorld Online
A HOUSE of Representatives panel approved a measure that would impose stricter safety requirements on social media and interactive online gaming platforms to protect children from harmful content and interactions.
The House Committee on Welfare of Children approved a substitute bill for the proposed Children’s Social Media and Online Gaming Safety Act, consolidating 41 measures.
Party-list Rep. Jude A. Acidre said the bill would balance parental guidance with digital platform accountability.
“Parents will always have an important role in guiding their children online, but families should not be expected to carry this responsibility by themselves,” he said in a statement.
He said child protection should not rest entirely on parents because platforms influence what children see, whom they interact with and how much time they spend online.
The bill bars children below 13 from creating, maintaining or using accounts on covered social media and digital services, including social and interactive features of online games.
Users aged 13 to below 18 will be allowed to use the platforms but will receive age-appropriate privacy and safety protections.
Platforms would have to build safeguards into their design and operations, including protections against harmful content and interactions, limits on communications between children and unknown adults, and default restrictions on public visibility, precise geolocation, targeted advertising and behavioral profiling.
Platforms will also be prohibited from letting children access livestreaming, endless scrolling and short-form video feeds. Additional safeguards would apply to autoplay and intrusive notifications.
The measure will not exempt platforms from their responsibilities based on parental consent, supervision or the use of safety tools.
The bill proposes creating an Office for Children’s Social Media and Digital Safety under the Department of Information and Communications Technology. The National Telecommunications Commission will handle administrative cases and penalties for violations.
The proposal was included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s Common Legislative Agenda in August.
Mr. Acidre said the measure seeks to make child safety part of how digital platforms operate rather than placing the burden solely on families and young users. — Pexcel John Bacon