Philippines Senate Approves Sweeping 18‑Year‑Old Social Media Ban

The Senate has passed Senate Bill No. 2424, the SMART KIDS Act, raising the age limit for a blanket ban on social media and high‑risk digital services to 18 and removing any parental override. The bill expands coverage to include social networking features on online gaming platforms such as Roblox and Gorebox, while exempting email, educational, news, and professional tools. Age verification must rely on PhilSys or another government‑issued ID, with platforms prohibited from storing copies of the ID. The law also mandates mitigation of addictive design features—autoplay, infinite scrolling, push notifications—and requires instant action against harmful content. DICT will enforce compliance, imposing fines of P5–P20 million per violation and daily penalties for continued non‑compliance. The bill replaces the House’s 13‑year‑old threshold and tiered access model with a stricter, uniform approach.